Constant Threat of Attack: Former Mayor of Geghamasar

There is significant tension and uncertainty in the community, as everyone is aware that the enemy could attack at any moment. This threat existed before, but it has intensified following the events in Tegh. It's necessary to work with the community to prepare for possible escalation; otherwise, panic will ensue, leading to irreversible consequences.

Regarding the potential for an attack being prepared by Azerbaijan, which was also mentioned by the Secretary of the Security Council yesterday, former Geghamasar Mayor Hakob Avetyan expressed such conviction in a conversation with Factinfo.

“If the enemy attacks, people will first think about getting their families to safety, as they fully understand that we are not defensible. The population has witnessed what happened on September 13... This undoubtedly will have extremely dangerous consequences, as the enemy will immediately capitalize on the ensuing panic. To avoid this, it is not enough just to announce that Azerbaijan is preparing for a new escalation; the public must be prepared and informed about what developments could occur and what they should do in that case. Here, organized resistance is of key importance,” said Avetyan.

The former mayor, who also has significant organizational experience, emphasizes that there are not enough brave, fighting individuals, but in the event of the resumption of military operations, they will be powerless because they do not know what to do.

“If fighting with an automatic weapon were effective, even in that way it would be done, but do you understand? Currently, in warfare, the decisive factors are artillery and drones. You may be hiding in your trench, not seeing the enemy, but the 'shell' comes, falls on your trench, and explodes. And God knows who will survive and who will not. Therefore, the army must seriously prepare for resistance, ready to respond to the enemy’s long-range strikes, while the community must support and complement it. In other words, serious systemic work must be undertaken, which cannot be done by individual actors alone; the state must organize it and clarify who will do what in the event of escalation,” our interlocutor remarked.

Frequent statements that we supposedly lack weapons, along with the obsession of blaming the previous authorities, according to Avetyan, are fairy tales through which the current leadership of the country tries to cover and justify its misfortunes and mistakes.

“In the past, there was honor, there was unity... Now there is neither one nor the other. If the enemy occupies Vardenis, many of those living in Yerevan will not be 'safe,' and similarly, if Tavush is occupied, those living in Vardenis will also not be 'safe'... Our greatest weakness, our tragedy is this. People do not realize that if we lose Artsakh, we will immediately lose the Armenian state and statehood... That’s why I say we need to calculate the enemy's moves and seriously prepare for a counterattack.

I am almost convinced that the leadership of Armenia is well aware of what to expect. Either this whole situation was planned and is advancing according to a plan, which is why the authorities are doing nothing, or they feel too weak and incapable to confront it. In either case, we are in a very bad situation, but I tend towards the first option...” says Avetyan, adding that despite his distrust towards the current Armenian authorities, he is still ready to rally around them if they take action and begin to seriously enhance the country's defense and security.

Avetyan sadly states that currently, no serious steps are being taken in the aforementioned directions, with the clear evidence being the discovery of an Azerbaijani serviceman freely roaming the territory of Armenia for three days by citizens and not by the responsible bodies...