The Situation is Complex, But This is It, We Endure: Babayan on the Situation in Artsakh

Azerbaijan is conducting a policy of terror against the Armenian population of Artsakh that violates humanitarian norms, but Artsakh stands firm and will continue to endure regardless of everything. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, Davit Babayan, while discussing the overall humanitarian, socio-economic, and moral-psychological situation in Artsakh.

The Minister emphasized that the situation is difficult, but Artsakh is enduring and will inevitably withstand. “The situation is complex, but this is it, we are enduring, and we will continue to endure regardless of everything,” highlighted Davit Babayan.

With regard to the restoration of natural gas in Artsakh, Babayan reported that there is still no news on that front. Nonetheless, the Minister emphasizes that it is the Azerbaijani authorities who have intentionally disrupted the gas supply to the Armenians of Artsakh, including for political reasons. “If they are not allowing us to repair it for quite some time, now they have simply closed it off—who closed it? We are not closing our gas; they are doing it,” said the Minister.

Davit Babayan assesses Azerbaijan's actions as acts of terrorism against the residents of Artsakh that violate humanitarian norms, as stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh concerning the latest incident on March 22 regarding the disruption of gas supply. “This is the situation. It is difficult, naturally, but we endure,” the Foreign Minister reiterated.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani authorities are resorting to various measures to exert psychological pressure on the indigenous population of Artsakh and, as stated by the authorized bodies and human rights defenders of the Republic of Artsakh, to ethnically cleanse the Armenians. From various channels in Nagorno-Karabakh—official sources, media, and social media posts from residents—the overall picture of the information flow indicates that damage to gas pipelines or the closure of valves set after has led to the cessation of heating for approximately 120,000 residents, and this is just one of those measures.

For nearly a month, the Azerbaijani side has been trying to intimidate the residents of the village of Kharamor in the Askeran region. Azerbaijanis are issuing calls through loudspeakers located on a hill about 500 meters away from the residential area of the community, urging the peaceful Armenian population to stop agricultural work and leave the village, threatening to use force otherwise.

Commenting on this incident, the Foreign Minister of Artsakh emphasized, “Kharamor stands and will endure regardless of everything.” According to him, the people of Artsakh are long familiar with Azerbaijan's tactics and do not get discouraged or intimidated in any case. “One day this kind of incident occurs here, one day somewhere else. This is their style; we have long been familiar with it. It has not intimidated us in any way,” added Davit Babayan.

The natural gas transit pipeline in Artsakh was damaged about two weeks ago. For a long time, Azerbaijanis did not allow repair work to be carried out. With the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, it finally became possible, and at the end of last week, on March 18, the Information Headquarters of Artsakh announced that the repair works on the damaged gas pipeline in Artsakh had been completed. The next day, State Minister Artak Beglaryan announced that gas supply would soon be fully restored. However, on the evening of March 21, the Information Headquarters of Artsakh reported that gas supply had once again been halted due to direct intervention by the Azerbaijani side.