Azerbaijani Soldiers are Real and Filmed This Morning, Says Goris Deputy Mayor

The videos showing Azerbaijani soldiers in the Syunik region are real and were filmed this morning. This was stated by the Deputy Mayor of Goris, Menua Hovsepyan, in an interview with Tert.am regarding the footage showing Azerbaijani soldiers.

"Azerbaijani soldiers are being deployed in various places along the road. They are present on roads leading to both the village of Vorotan and Shurnukh. This is our main highway connecting the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia," he said.

When asked why Azerbaijani soldiers are freely present in the area, Hovsepyan responded that such questions should be directed to the authorities. In response to the question about the number of Azerbaijani soldiers, he mentioned that there are different numbers stationed at various sections of the road.

"According to the authorities, this is not part of the Syunik region. They probably consider it another place. They claim they are not giving up even a millimeter of Syunik, but if the Turk is present on that road, it means, according to the logic of the authorities, that this isn't Syunik. We are convinced that this is Syunik, that this is our ancestral land," he stated.

When asked how citizens' safety is ensured, Hovsepyan reiterated that the government should respond to how safety will be guaranteed. Regarding the citizens' sentiments and how they are moving along that road, the deputy mayor responded, "The citizens' sentiment is very poor; the future of Syunik is under question."

Asked whether representatives from the Armenian armed forces are present, Hovsepyan replied that he does not have information on that matter. When inquired whether the municipality could take any action, he stated that they are fighting against all of this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In response to a clarifying question on whether there has been a reaction from the authorities, Hovsepyan noted, "There has been no adequate response so far. We keep hearing the same nonsense that they are not giving an inch of Syunik; perhaps for them, the Syunik region has a different geographical position," said Menua Hovsepyan.