We Have Withdrawn Our Positions Three Times, Then Retreated - Melikset Poghosyan

The Governor of Syunik Province, Melikset Poghosyan, assures that no one has given an order for the withdrawal of Armenian troops in Syunik; rather, the troops have been sent back to the positions they occupied during the Soviet era. He made this statement during a conversation with journalists in the National Assembly, responding to a question regarding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's order to withdraw troops in Syunik last December.

It was reported that Pashinyan had stated on October 27 in the National Assembly during a question-and-answer session with the government that he made the decision to withdraw troops in Syunik himself. Pashinyan mentioned that if such a decision had not been made, military operations would have begun in Syunik and we would have faced problems.

“No one wanted to retreat. The question is that during those days the Prime Minister came to Goris and held a consultation. He said, 'Transition to the defense of Syunik.' We then moved from Nrnadzor to advantageous heights at Khoyznavar for defense. Moreover, we cooperated for a month to maintain the 'neutral zone.' We advanced our positions three times in the Kubatlu area,” said Poghosyan.

According to him, as a result of negotiations, the Armenian troops withdrew because they needed to be stationed according to the borders of Soviet Armenia.