Syunik on the Brink of Disaster: Azerbaijanis Want to Advance Their Border

Yesterday, around 9 PM, it became known that negotiations related to the Azerbaijani incursion in the village of Khnzoresk in Syunik had concluded, yet no information about the outcomes was disclosed. Journalists were prohibited from filming throughout the duration of the negotiations. Following official news yesterday and today, we mentally revisited September 2020 and experienced a painful sense of déjà vu. Back then, it was about Artsakh, but now, instead of Artsakh, it is Armenia, and instead of Shushi, it is Yerevan.

The moment is not far off when the person occupying the prime minister's chair will officially declare that shots are being fired from Yerevan at him. Beyond simple acknowledgments of the situation, progress is not being made on the part of Pashinyan. Even these acknowledgments come late and increase doubts about the official news.

Pashinyan misled the Ministry of Defense. Expectations awaited Pashinyan's comments yesterday morning, when the people of Syunik panicked over reports that Azerbaijanis had advanced 3 kilometers into our territory from Lake Sevan towards the village of Verishen, taking control of springs, pastures, and the road to Sisian. The Ministry of Defense was reassuring from the morning that work was underway on the border, and in the evening it was said that the Azerbaijanis had retreated during negotiations. The NSS threatened to apply "the most stringent measures" in case of panic and misinformation, while Pashinyan remained silent. During that moment, conflicting reports from Syunik were reaching us, claiming that the Turks were stationed at Gazigol, with Goris under their control.

“The Turks are sitting in the Gazigol area; they have all of Goris in their grasp, and Verishen is right at their fingertips, like in the palm of their hand; they can even shoot with firearms. They are not retreating, and the Russians are not forcing them either; our forces are gathering, preparing to ‘displace’ them the next day. When they say they retreated, it’s a lie,” revealed our source on the night of May 12.

Yesterday morning during a cabinet session, when Pashinyan spoke, it became clear that our sources were correct: the Turks have no intention of retreating, while the Ministry of Defense, as usual, denies the truth. The person occupying the prime minister's chair noted another delayed acknowledgment that Azerbaijani forces had entered sovereign Armenian territory with fake maps. “There are Azerbaijani soldiers near Lake Sevan, and our soldiers are also present in significant numbers... work is being done to remove Azerbaijani soldiers from that area,” said Pashinyan without mentioning why soldiers present near Lake Sevan are not being expelled or captured but are instead attempting to negotiate.

We asked the mayor of Goris, Arushan Arushanyan, if it was true that the entire Goris fell under enemy control from the positions near Lake Sevan. “If they remain there, it’s a problem; such a thing exists. It’s not that Goris is clearly visible, but they have advanced significantly,” he responded.

By 4 PM, Arushanyan was still unaware whether the Azerbaijanis would come for negotiations that had been scheduled for 1 PM. “They hadn’t arrived shortly before,” he said. Later, we learned they had come, and the meeting took place near Khnzoresk. We inquired whether it was possible for them to enter not only from the Sisian region. “Why couldn’t they?” He added, “At this moment, only that exists in the territory of Syunik.”

Do you consider the actions of the Ministry of Defense and the government to be correct? “We either negotiate or fight; I see no third option in this case.” According to Arushanyan, to avoid such situations, a new government interested in the border is necessary. “Not spreading misinformation that everything is manageable at the border, but in fact, it appears that numerous areas are not being controlled.”

The governor of Syunik, Melikset Poghosyan, who was one of the last to learn of the incursion and had been persuading us all day that nothing serious was happening, was buried in the area of Lake Sevan yesterday in his pickup truck when we called him.

- What’s the situation there now? Are there many Turks? - The situation is normal. Azerbaijanis are here. I can’t say if they are many or few. - We have a longer border since the war, and there are many places where there are no positions. Are they filling all those places, in your opinion? - No, they’ve just come now that the snow has melted; they are establishing new posts. There are places that are impassable with two meters of snow at 3000 meters altitude. For both our side and theirs, it’s hard to be positioned there. - So, our hope is in nature? - No, let’s see what happens finally, and then we will talk. - People in Yerevan are asking why they are not capturing those who crossed the border and taking more decisive actions; do you think this ‘more decisive’ is necessary? - Let them finish the negotiations. - But has the negotiation begun; have they come? - They were supposed to come at one; I don’t know if they have come already, though. They had meetings even until 3 AM last night. Now they have gone again to meet.

- Who from the Armenian side is participating; is there anyone from Syunik? Are you participating? - No, those designated by the plan are participating; those are from the Ministry of Defense, NSS, and border troops. Ultimately, the Ministry of Defense should answer your questions; they should provide information every hour. - Yesterday, the Ministry of Defense said that the Turks had retreated, but they had not retreated; who believes the Ministry of Defense? - They’ve retreated in one place, while in another place they are filling in. They have the quantity and resources. You know those mountains - in some places there’s snow, and they can’t get in, and elsewhere they are breaking through on foot.

- So, have they entered at several locations? Is it not about a few positions? - It’s several places; it’s not that... They want to advance their border altogether. Now that the snow has melted in the mountains, both they and we should pass to our respective borders. However, they have violated the situation again. Now we should push them back to their locations, but we don’t want tension. We want a nice form of ‘displacement’ with the Russians, themselves, and us to resolve this issue.

- Will it be possible without firing a shot? - Well, when it comes to fighting, do we have so many children that we will again go to war? Of course, if the time comes, we will all enter the battle. Do you want there to be fighting? Ten times we maneuver and take action, so that we make the right decisions. They are constantly violating; what can we do?

- No, we don’t want fighting, but wouldn’t it be better for our side to quickly establish new positions? - Listen, I’m currently buried in snow with my vehicle, and we want to go and see those areas from the heights. It’s not like I am someone else sitting in an office making decisions without understanding the situation. It’s difficult, too,” the newspaper writes.