Azerbaijan Not Only Fails to Withdraw Troops but Also Strengthens Its Position, Says Tigran Abrahamyan

On October 16, Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly's "Bright Armenia" faction, announced that he had approached the Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan, to inform him of his intention to visit the Sotk-Khoznavor section of the border as a permanent member of the Defense and Security Committee. Abrahamyan noted that the Chief of Staff had not responded to his request, violating the law, and he had given Davtyan time to reply.

In a conversation with journalists, Abrahamyan reported that as of now, he has not received any written response from the Chief of Staff or the General Staff. He emphasized that one of the primary reasons for visiting the area effectively occupied by Azerbaijan in May was to familiarize himself with the service conditions of Armenian forces in elevated areas during winter conditions.

"It is crucial for me to understand what kind of defensive systems are established in these areas and whether the RA Armed Forces have the capability to conduct effective combat duty as well as necessary defensive operations," he stated. He pointed out another important factor that was not reflected in his official letter: the fact that in May, the infiltration of Azerbaijani troops into RA territory was allowed, and since then, no one from the military-political leadership has been held accountable for this. "This gap remains and leads to new conclusions, either there was an agreement to surrender those territories, or a crime has occurred, and a significant portion of the border has not been adequately defended," Abrahamyan said.

He clarified that he was referring to the border sections where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed that Armenian and Azerbaijani forces withdraw in a mirrored manner. "The Azerbaijani side is not only failing to carry out withdrawals, but is also significantly fortifying its positions in these areas, which indicates that Azerbaijan has no intention of retreating from those areas. There is also a significant amount of information being relayed to me from various sources, and I am speaking only within 5 percent of what I know on this topic, but I hope the authorities will not take advantage of my decency," Abrahamyan emphasized. He added that he is currently refraining from making further assessments and will wait a few more days for a response from the Chief of Staff to secure his access to that border area.