Aghavnadzor Community Leader: 'Arazik Harutyunyan Said the Situation is Serious - We Received a Letter from Azerbaijan'

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh, Hayk Khanumyan, informed the villagers that they must leave Aghavnadzor by August 25. He emphasized that they should not burn their houses, but did not explain the reason why. Nevertheless, the residents are struggling to come to terms with the thought of abandoning their homes, yet what can they do? Without state support, the villagers feel powerless. This was stated by Aghavnadzor Mayor Andranik Chalyshyan in an interview with 24News.

“Some villagers hope that the decision will be changed, while others are already preparing to vacate the area. They promised that the residents would be given certificates, allowing them to go and live wherever they wish, but there is still no clarification on this. We must register the residents and understand who will go where. There are about 200 residents in Aghavnadzor,” said the mayor.

According to him, they learned of the decision to vacate the area three days ago during a meeting with President Arazik Harutyunyan. “We met with the council members and President Arazik Harutyunyan, who said that the situation is serious. We have received a letter from Azerbaijan stating that we must clear the corridor. There was an agreement for you to construct the road, but you didn’t build it; we have built our road, now you get out, the rest is your problem,” the mayor quoted Harutyunyan.

When asked by the media why such a quick decision was made regarding Aghavnadzor when Harutyunyan previously indicated that they must fight for it, Andranik Chalyshyan responded: “How can a villager fight alone when the army has been disbanded? If the roads are blocked, what can the residents of Artsakh do? There is no assistance from the authorities of the Republic of Armenia; there is a clear plan to enslave Armenians. Arazik Harutyunyan is responsible for all this, but Nikol Pashinyan is the negotiator, and until now, what he has said has been the opposite of what has been done. This issue concerns not only Aghavnadzor and Berdzor but is a problem for Artsakh and Syunik as well.”