Azerbaijan's Presidential Office Denies Reports about Red Market

The reports about the withdrawal of the Artsakh Defense Army from the Armenian community of Red Market do not correspond to reality. This was stated by Lusine Avanesyan, the spokesperson for the President of Artsakh, in a conversation with Sputnik Armenia.

She also reminded that last week, President Arayik Harutyunyan visited the Red Market community in the Martuni region, met with residents, and discussed their daily issues on site.

It should be noted that today, rumors have re-emerged online, alleging that the President of Artsakh, General Muradov, and a representative of the National Security Service of Armenia are demanding the commander of the Defense Army to withdraw troops from the Red Market. This area is crucial as it maintains the connection with Shushi.

After the 44-day war, Azerbaijani soldiers used the road passing through Red Market to reach Shushi. Due to security concerns for the local Armenian citizens, the commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, Mikael Arzumanyan, established checkpoints on this route, where Armenian soldiers inspect all Azerbaijanis passing through.

If the road is handed over to Azerbaijani forces, the Red Market would be depopulated and would subsequently fall under Azerbaijani control.

Reports about the handover of the Red Market route have circulated before. A month ago, on February 7, President Arayik Harutyunyan personally addressed this issue.

“One claims that we are dismantling the army and the foreign ministry, another states that we are abandoning the Red Market – Shushi road, and a third says that we will raise the Azerbaijani flag in Stepanakert, and so on. All of them are nonsense, and it is simply unacceptable for the authorities of Artsakh to agree to the desires of external and internal enemies,” Harutyunyan wrote on his Facebook page.

He also demanded an end to the exploitation of the name of Artsakh and the sentiments of its people.