Azerbaijani Side Refuses to Return 280 Sheep of Captured Shepherd; State to Compensate Losses of $20,000-24,000

In January of this year, representatives of the Azerbaijani armed forces captured Surik Matevosyan, a shepherd from the Tegh community in the Syunik region. Although the Armenian side managed to secure the return of the shepherd, the Azerbaijani side has yet to return his approximately 280 sheep, despite ongoing negotiations mediated by the Russian side regarding their repatriation, reports 168.am.

In an interview with the media outlet, David Ghulunts, the head of the Tegh community, conveyed that all efforts to retrieve the sheep have been halted, as the Azerbaijani side claims that the sheep were never in their controlled territory. “The 280 sheep have passed into their controlled area, but they deny this. The government will compensate our community member for those sheep. While the state has not yet provided compensation, it will; we have sent all necessary documents,” stated the community leader.

He also noted that part of the shepherd’s sheep have crossed into territory controlled by the enemy, but the shepherd is currently managing to address his social issues. “Let’s put it this way, those sheep have been the mothers; some have remained, they will manage until compensation is received, and then he will buy more sheep to fill the numbers. Since this incident, no similar incidents have been recorded to date,” concluded David Ghulunts.

It should be noted that, according to Dr. Ghulunts, the damages incurred by the shepherd amount to $20,000-24,000.