Alternative Roads to Be Constructed in Voskepar Village of Tavush Province: Ministry Doesn't Deny

The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia has not denied that alternative roads are to be constructed in Voskepar village of Tavush province; however, officials are refraining from stating how many new roads will be built and the total length in kilometers.

According to "Factinfo," a report dating back to December 14, 2021, citing its sources, indicated that as a result of this decision, three sections of the main highway leading to Voskepar would come under the control of Azerbaijan. An alternative road of 12 kilometers is set to be built. The media outlet also presented possible routes.

During a year-end press conference, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that various maps from different years show several roads in Tavush Province exiting the territory of Armenia, although delimitation and demarcation have yet to be carried out.

On December 28, 2021, the media sent an inquiry to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia to clarify which roads, according to the government, are exiting the territory of Armenia, and whether an alternative road would be constructed for the Voskepar highway. Furthermore, we specifically inquired about the plans to build alternative roads connecting Nerkhinkh Zaghkavan-Kirants, Kirants-Voskepar, and Voskepar-Baghanis.

The ministry initially requested a month’s time, citing the need for studies to respond to the inquiry. After the month passed, they confirmed in writing that the issue of constructing alternative roads in Tavush was under discussion, while avoiding disclosing how many kilometers and which specific roads were being referred to. However, the fact remains that the ministry has not denied that the issue of constructing alternative roads along the routes mentioned in the inquiry is in the discussion phase.

“In the Tavush province, clarity on the construction of alternative roads will come after the project budget documentation is commissioned,” the ministry wrote in response.