Armenian Citizens Traveling on M2 Highway Risk Deportation to Azerbaijan as Illegal Border Crossers, Lawyer Warns

Armenian citizens traveling through Syunik on the state interstate road are effectively crossing into Azerbaijani territory illegally multiple times, according to lawyer Vahan Hovhannisyan, who spoke during ‘‘Factinfo’’ broadcasts regarding the situation created in Syunik due to the actions of the Armenian executive authority.

“If we, as a state, accept that the 21 km section of the M2, namely the Goris-Kapan road segment, and the 12 houses of Shurnukh village have passed into Azerbaijani control, and essentially are in the Republic of Azerbaijan, then whether we like it or not, we must accept that citizens traveling on this road cross the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan several times, and moreover, illegally,” he stated, adding that in such cases, our citizens could be deported to Azerbaijan directly from the roadway for committing a crime.

The lawyer noted that there are currently no responses to such situations. “Today, we do not have any means of legal interaction with Azerbaijan; all of this needs to be resolved very quickly. Let's assume that we have had the first case where a person was deported to Azerbaijan; what are we going to do as a state?” Hovhannisyan emphasized, presenting specific proposals.