Why Armenian Forces Have Withdrawn from Occupied Positions: Situation in Syunik

Yesterday, there was a tense situation in the Syunik region of Armenia. From early morning, residents of Syunik, along with several community leaders, blocked the Yerevan-Kapan highway, demanding explanations regarding the security guarantees they will receive and what to expect in the near future when they are instructed to surrender the adjacent heights to the enemy.

The situation escalated when Kapan's Mayor Gevorg Paryan announced that today the heights of Kapan and 13 nearby villages will be handed over to Azerbaijan, with a deadline set until 5:00 PM. What positions are being discussed here?

According to information obtained by the newspaper “Zhoghovurd,” on the night of November 9-10, the day of the well-known unfavorable for Armenia statement, the Armenian side established positions under favorable conditions before the signing of the document. Now, as delimitation work is supposed to be implemented, it has turned out that the Armenian forces are positioned further in advance than intended, which is why the withdrawal from these positions is taking place.

This concerns the areas of Kubatlu and Zangelan, around which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also spoke about expected tensions during the security council meeting on Sunday.

Yesterday, newly appointed regional governor Melikset Poghosyan met with the residents of Syunik to explain the situation and outline what will happen in those areas. Meanwhile, former deputy governor and now MP from the “My Step” faction Narek Ghahramanyan stated, “There will be no issues related to the airport's operation. The Kapan-Agarak highway will continue to operate normally. Russian border guards will be deployed in certain areas to ensure safety (including along the Goris-Kapan highway). Nothing threatens the safety of Kapan and Syunik. We must wait to see what will happen today and in the future, but it is possible that tensions will rise again in Syunik before 5:00 PM.” The Minister of Defense assured the community leaders in Syunik that not a single meter of Armenian territory will be ceded,” the newspaper writes.

Read the full article in today’s issue of the newspaper.