Kornidzor Resident Crossed Azerbaijani Border, Not Azerbaijanis Stealing Livestock

On October 24, Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan made a post on his Facebook page stating that a report was submitted to the Human Rights Defender's office regarding an incident on October 22, 2021, around noon. It was reported that servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces had stolen 107 sheep and 5 goats belonging to a resident of Kornidzor village, located near the cemetery in the Tegh community of Syunik province.

“A citizen who was grazing his animals near the cemetery noticed that two Azerbaijani armed servicemen descended from their positions and came toward his livestock. As they approached, they drove the animals toward their positions. These circumstances, along with the fact that Azerbaijani servicemen stole the indicated number of animals, have been verified by several sources,” the post stated.

In an interview with 24News, Tegh community head Davit Ghulunts mentioned that they had informed the Russian peacekeepers about the issue of returning the animals and that everything possible had been done by the community regarding this matter. “We are waiting for a response from the Turks. The Russian peacekeepers said they are waiting for a response from the Azerbaijani side — yes or no,” he noted.

According to the community head, the resident of Kornidzor crossed the Azerbaijani border himself, and it was not Azerbaijanis who entered Armenian territory to steal livestock. “But regarding theft, they cannot steal. The Turk did not enter the Armenian territory to steal; such a thing did not happen. He crossed out of his border and entered their border; that is what happened. The Turk did not specifically enter the Tegh community; such a thing did not happen, it cannot happen. Where our border guarding troops are positioned, they cannot cross to this side. They are standing on their border, and our border guards are on ours,” concluded Davit Ghulunts.