Flags Removed from Artsakh Combat Positions: What is the Reason?

Flags of Armenia and Artsakh have been removed from combat positions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line in Artsakh. In an interview with "Factinfo," Artsakh National Assembly MP Metakse Hakobyan stated that the removal of flags should not be perceived as painful because if it ensures the safety of our soldiers, then it should be done.

The MP noted that the presence of flags at combat positions creates tension, and we need to approach the issue from a different perspective. “Since the war of the 1990s, no flags have been placed on combat positions. It is inappropriate to place a flag at your deployment site; despite the advancements in technology, it does not change anything, but still, that should not be done. The placement of flags is a fixation of Azerbaijanis and Turks. Flags should be placed purposefully. For instance, a soldier from the enemy may drink one day, remember their Allah, decide to make a sacrifice, and fire at our positions. We should not put our soldiers at risk,” said Metakse Hakobyan.

She added that leaders of the law enforcement agencies also interpreted the purpose of removing flags in such a manner during their meetings and acknowledged that they made a mistake by initially placing flags at combat positions. The MP also mentioned that flags should be in places that symbolize the state's sovereignty, recalling that during the war, the flag was removed from the presidential building of Artsakh. “That was a mistake, that was succumbing to the mentality of capitulation and bowing down,” stated Metakse Hakobyan.

In response to the claim that, according to information circulating in Telegram channels, the condition for removing flags was presented by the Azerbaijani side during the meeting in Sochi, Metakse Hakobyan noted that such a condition will, of course, exist since Azerbaijan suffers from that obsession. “The mere presence of flags on positions creates some sort of hysteria for them, but we should not think the way Azerbaijan thinks. We must be realistic. At this moment, I oppose anything that can harm my soldier, so let it not be,” said the MP.

When asked whether this is seen as the Armenian side accepting another condition of Azerbaijan, Metakse Hakobyan clarified that it is not the Armenian side, but Nikol Pashinyan. “Our law enforcement leaders should have been smart enough to understand in time that flags should not be placed at their deployment sites, so that now they can say on a high level that Azerbaijan managed to solve that issue,” concluded Metakse Hakobyan, emphasizing that in any case, the lowering of flags is an initiative of the law enforcement agencies to ensure that soldiers' lives are not endangered.