God forbid they come after the 2nd, the boys are waiting armed: Shurnukh village chief

“Those who have weapons, let’s come together to defend our land and water.” With this call, the head of Shurnukh community in Syunik region, Hakob Arshakyan, addressed the villagers yesterday, urging them to protect their ancestral land and water. Over half of Shurnukh, more than a dozen homes, will transfer to the Azerbaijani side. This decision follows the well-known trilateral statement signed by Nikol Pashinyan.

The representative of the RA National Security Service has stated that the villagers will remain in their homes until January 2-3. After that, what will happen, Yerkir.am tried to clarify with Shurnukh village chief Hakob Arshakyan.

- Mr. Arshakyan, it seems that the residents of Shurnukh have once again been given time to leave their homes until January 2-3. What will happen after that?

- It’s uncertain, an undefined status. The kids should sleep in their homes until the specified time.

- Will the villagers leave?

- They are becoming increasingly resolute.

- You’ve called on people to protect their land and water. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has personally stated that with the new demarcation, those houses are located in Azerbaijani territory. After all, it is by his decision that Azerbaijanis are now in Shurnukh. The only hope for the Syunik residents, apparently, is the community leaders. Are you not worried that you might also be imprisoned, as has happened with other village heads?

- Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, I could also be imprisoned. If the village head is an obstacle for the government, they remove all obstacles from their path. They are doing that today; maybe tomorrow, I’ll become an obstacle, they’ll say, ‘What troops have you gathered, do you want to protect your piece of land?’ Anything is possible. In any case, the boys are here; they have come, and the mood is strong, not knowing what will happen next. We have simply asked the villagers to take their last belongings, because after the 2nd, we don’t know what will happen. The boys, regardless, are ready.

More on the original source website.