An Azerbaijani Entered, Saluted Us: An Artsakh Resident Shares Details of the Incident in Shushi

In the blocked section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway, there was a general atmosphere of stress in the bus due to the intervention of the so-called Azerbaijani "eco-activists." This was recounted by Karine Aghajanyan, one of the citizens heading to Artsakh, in a conversation with NEWS.am.

“We departed from Armenia, reached Shushi, and they did not allow us to pass. They stopped our vehicle, claiming they were conducting checks. An Azerbaijani entered and said to us, ‘Здравствуйте’ (Hello). It was a stressful situation overall; a few women felt unwell. Negotiations took place, and it was decided that we would not be permitted to proceed to Artsakh. We insisted that we wanted to stay there to see if we could cross, but it was in vain, we could not get through,” narrated the citizen.

Karine Aghajanyan mentioned that she remained in Goris with her husband, while one of her sons is in Stepanakert with his family, and the other son is in the village of Zaghkashat in the Askeran region of Artsakh. “I was going to my home, to my kids. We had managed to go with the help of Russian peacekeepers. I had gone to Russia for my grandchild’s birthday, stayed there for 2 months, and then another month in Yerevan. I came to Goris with the hope that at least from here I could get to my home: my 18-year-old son is in the village of Zaghkashat in the Askeran region,” she said.

It is noteworthy that on April 4, at around 15:30, a total of 27 civilians, including elderly people, children, and individuals with disabilities, were supposed to travel from Goris, Armenia, to Stepanakert, following an agreement with the Russian side and under the escort of Russian peacekeepers. Despite the initial agreements regarding their return, Azerbaijani government agents posing as “eco-activists” blocked the passage of Russian peacekeeping forces transporting civilians in the section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway at Shushi. As a result, the citizens were left stranded in that area for about 5 hours. After unsuccessful negotiations between the Russian side and the Azerbaijanis, the vehicles returned to Goris.