Shooting During Farming Activities Aims to Intimidate, People Have Left and Gone to the Fields

As a result of the Azerbaijani aggression in 2020, five villages in the Martuni region have come under the control of the enemy, and many villages have not only become border areas but have also lost a significant portion of their arable land. This was stated by Armen Baghrayan, head of the Martuni administration’s staff, in an interview with "Factinfo."

Specifically, the control of the enemy includes the arable lands of Berdashen, Jartari, Ashan, Gishi, Khushinaki, and others. Some areas are still under our control, but are monitored by Azerbaijanis, and people are unable to cultivate them. They are not allowed; they shoot. What can people do? How can they work? said Armen Baghrayan.

The head of the administration assured that with the presence of peacekeepers, the Azerbaijanis do not commit such criminal acts; therefore, they primarily attempt to enter the fields under the supervision of the peacekeepers. He stated that this significantly slows down the work. Waiting for peacekeepers is not always possible, and in such cases, incidents are unavoidable.

"They shoot during farming activities, trying to intimidate. Such incidents often occur in the direction of Berdashen. Just a week ago, they shot again; while a tractor was working in the arable fields of Berdashen, gunfire was released. People left and went away from the fields," said Armen Baghrayan.

Azerbaijani soldiers, illegally stationed in the administrative territory of the Martuni villages, as Baghrayan stated, are keeping the wheat fields and the vineyards and pomegranate orchards under their sights. In all the fields and orchards under the Azerbaijani soldiers' targeting, the situation is the same: people either cannot cultivate their lands at all, or they leave their work unfinished under the threat and gunfire of the Azerbaijanis.