Azerbaijanis Illuminate Armenian Vehicles at Night to Obstruct Drivers, Alert from Syunik

The Human Rights Defender's office issued a statement today regarding Azerbaijani military personnel in the Syunik region, who, under the pretext of erected Azerbaijani signs, appear near these signs with weapons and attempt to intimidate Armenian citizens and local residents through overt displays of arms.

The statement specifically mentions: “Alerts have been received regarding the deployment of Azerbaijani soldiers along the routes from Goris to Vorotan and Shurnukh, as well as between Kapan, Chakatun, Shikahogh, Srrashen, and several other settlements, using Azerbaijani flags and signs as a pretext. These actions have disrupted the free movement of people.”

In an interview with ArmDaily.am, Hakob Arshakyan, the head of the Shurnukh administrative area in the enlarged community of Goris, reported that the construction work for the new neighborhood is progressing actively. “Overall, things are normal in Shurnukh, and the construction work for the new neighborhood continues. Today, work is being done on the water supply line to ensure drinking water supply. The 13 new houses being built there will cause a shortage of water from the existing spring, which is why it is being provided with drinking water,” said Arshakyan.

The administrative head noted that the community is peaceful, yet Azerbaijanis are trying to maintain a physical presence near the Azerbaijani signs. He indicated that a sign placed on the Goris highway had been downed by an Armenian, and upon learning of this, they quickly rectified it, fearing that Azerbaijanis would erect a larger one afterward: “They have this tendency – you do something, we will do this in return, and a couple of soldiers will be stationed next to it by necessity. We are working to keep such incidents at bay. In any case, our people are civilians, theirs are military personnel. We need to remain vigilant and cautious.”

He added that the Azerbaijani soldiers in the Shurnukh area behave normally, but in Vorotan, which is a larger settlement, they can act more recklessly. “A month and a half ago, twice while I was coming at night, they illuminated the vehicle coming towards me with a spotlight from their position. The first time they turned on that light a month and a half ago, I stopped for a bit, I talked, and I got annoyed; the Russians interfered. The second time was about ten days ago when they did the same thing to make the driver lose control of the vehicle. I am sure they did the same thing to other travelers as well; it has happened to me twice. This occurred at the Vorotan post, where Russians and Azerbaijanis are together – right at that spot,” said Hakob Arshakyan.