The Area from Gegharkunik to Araks is Part of the Republic of Artsakh, Occupied by Azerbaijan – Babayan

Azerbaijan is rushing regarding the demarcation issue, guided by the saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot,' while this is not such an easy task primarily due to the Artsakh issue. This viewpoint was expressed by Davit Babayan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, in an interview with FactInfo.

As previously reported, since May 12, Azerbaijan has entered the sovereign territory of Armenia under the pretext of so-called border clarification, and for two weeks now, certain areas of Gegharkunik and Syunik have been occupied by the armed forces of the enemy state. Moreover, they are attempting to take control of new territories, and border incidents are becoming increasingly acute.

On May 20, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in the Armenian Parliament that mass brawls had occurred along the entire length of the border, while on May 25, there was gunfire in Gegharkunik, leading to the death of an Armenian soldier. Today, Azerbaijan attempted to shift the blame onto the Armenian side, claiming that between May 24 and 26, the Armenian side shelled Azerbaijani positions. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense accused the Armenian side of shelling Azerbaijani positions near the city of Shushi in the territory of Artsakh, which was refuted by Russian peacekeepers who confirmed that no fire had taken place from the Armenian side in Artsakh.

According to Artsakh's Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, such unfounded statements aim to place the responsibility for the tension on the Armenian side. This is their ultimate goal, while at the very least, they seek to justify their violations of the ceasefire regime, given that they allegedly have to respond to Armenian 'provocations.'

'All of this is a manifestation of an anti-Armenian policy that is felt both in the information sphere and in everyday life,' Babayan noted, adding that Azerbaijan is rushing to resolve the demarcation issue, guided by the proverb, 'Strike while the iron is hot.'

'As long as the consequences of the war are fresh, Baku believes that this issue must be resolved. While people and society are under stress, shaken by what has happened, they are trying to maneuver this situation to their advantage as much as possible,' Babayan pointed out. However, as our interlocutor noted, it is currently difficult to carry out demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan primarily due to the situation in Artsakh.

'There are areas where demarcation can be carried out easily, while the area from Gegharkunik to Araks is part of the Republic of Artsakh, which has been occupied by Azerbaijan. The question arises, to whom does this area belong? Another question is whether after this demarcation, Artsakh will be considered Azerbaijani. These are political, geopolitical, moral, and historical questions. Thus, there are sections where the demarcation is easy to implement; those are purely technical issues. However, the issues regarding Artsakh, its status, belonging, and the territories occupied by Azerbaijan entail significant difficulties,' Babayan concluded.