Azerbaijan Continues New Road Construction, Residents of Agavno Will Be Forced to Leave Their Homes: 'Joxovurd'

The newspaper 'Joxovurd' reports that during this period, when opposition figures are organizing protests and demonstrations in the streets of Yerevan demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation in an attempt to prevent the Azerbaijaniization of Armenia, Azerbaijan is rapidly continuing the construction of a new road to replace the Berdzor-Agavno route.

According to Azerbaijani media, the new road connecting Armenia to Artsakh will begin from the village of Kornidzor in Goris, pass through the Artsakh villages of Hin Shen and Mets Shen, and then join the road to Yeghtsahogh and Lisagor. The 32 km long road is apparently to be monitored by Russian peacekeepers.

The provision to construct a new communication route instead of the 'Lachin Corridor' is enshrined in the second paragraph of point 6 of the statement from November 9, which stipulates that the design of the new road should be approved within three years. However, according to Azerbaijani media, during the summer of 2022 (in a few months), Azerbaijanis are set to cut the red ribbon for the entire highway, after which Armenia will lose control of the city of Berdzor, Agavno, and several other villages.

According to the newspaper, after the operation of the new road begins, the residents of the area will be forced to leave their homes. We attempted to get a comment from Vitaly Balasanyan, the Secretary of the Artsakh Security Council, regarding this issue, but in vain. Balasanyan is among those primarily responsible for the future fate of Agavno and the other villages, as well as the territories of Berdzor and Artsakh, and is reportedly the only negotiator with the Azerbaijani side from Artsakh at this time.

In an interview with 'Joxovurd,' the mayor of Agavno expressed confidence that no one had told them about leaving the village or vacating their homes, and there had been no warning: 'Every day we see Azerbaijanis working on the road, but they have told us nothing. We do not plan to leave our homes, even if they say so. They probably know that even if they tell us, we will take up arms and stay. Regarding the new road being constructed, let them build it; it will be easier for us when it comes to liberation,' he noted.

What the actual fate of Berdzor will be will become clear in the near future after the aforementioned road is put into operation. One thing is clear: the relevant authorities, officials, and, broadly speaking, the citizens of Armenia will only wake up from their slumber when it becomes too late.