If Border Issues Are Resolved with Today's Approaches, Disputes and Conflicts Will Arise: Human Rights Defender

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, has issued a statement emphasizing that archival documents clearly indicate that if border issues are resolved with the unacceptable approaches of today, disputes and conflicts will arise.

The statement reads: "In 1923, after I. Stalin's initiative in 1921, the province of 'Red Kurdistan' was artificially created to separate Armenia from Artsakh. This separation was made in such a way as to include areas from Karvachar to the Iranian border and from Mrav to the Araks River. Notably, these territories were connected to Azerbaijan with parts of Soviet Armenia's borders (this issue requires a separate discussion). The archival documents pertaining to the determination of borders during that period are crucial for the protection of the rights of border residents in the Republic of Armenia today.

For instance, to resolve border disputes between Red Kurdistan and the Zangezur province of the Armenian SSR, a commission was formed in October 1923 by the Central Executive Committee of the USSR (various committees had operated). At that time, the border demarcation works with Azerbaijan were facing serious complications.

Specifically, there were various attacks and looting by armed groups on the border Armenian villages of Syunik from the territories of Kurdistan, continuous incidents occurred, and large livestock of Armenian farmers were stolen, leading to provocations and arrests, etc. The archival materials of the Central Executive Committee of the Armenian SSR from March 1924 attest to these violations, compiled based on applications from the Zangezur province's executive committee. At that time, serious disputes arose concerning the demarcation of arable lands, pastures, forests, and even mountain peaks.

A local commission was formed in 1926, which included Axel Bakunts, a land surveyor by profession, who paid special attention to these issues. From his reports, it becomes clear that Armenian farmers were primarily the affected party, as their rights were not taken into consideration.

The reports of A. Bakunts from October 18, 1926, indicated that when determining the borders of Zangezur, the connections between villages, the difficulties for people, and the importance of economic links (for example, the connection to Kapan, where at that time about 50% of farmers worked in the copper mines) should be taken into account, especially given the scarcity of land.

For example, regarding the border issue between Meghri and Zangelan, the Central Executive Committee of the Armenian SSR specifically recorded on October 9, 1925, the significance of winter pastures to the west for Armenian farmers, who at that time effectively used pastures of villages that did not have pastures in the Meghri and Kapan regions. It was specifically emphasized that without these pastures, livestock farming in the surrounding villages would be paralyzed (this situation has now resurfaced as well).

These historical facts show that the current issues surrounding border determinations are fundamentally important for the rights of residents in the border communities of Syunik province, including Tegh, Goris, Kapan, and others, both in terms of their right to life and security and their socio-economic rights. They are crucial not only for farmers to sustain their daily livelihoods but also from the perspective of economic rights.

Archival documents clearly confirm that the more uncertain the border issues are or are resolved with today's unacceptable mechanical approaches, the more the rights of farmers will be violated, leading to disputes and conflicts. It is especially important to consider that now, in the peaceful areas of Armenia, Azerbaijani military personnel, armed individuals, are directly [literally meters] adjacent to civilian residents.

We must take into account all past mistakes, learn necessary lessons, and ensure that the rights of any resident of the Republic of Armenia are not violated."