Samvel Babayan on Opening the Aghdam Road

For over a week, humanitarian aid sent from Armenia to Artsakh, totaling 361 tons, has been stuck in Kornidzor. Azerbaijan has prohibited entry via the Hakari Bridge, labeling this a provocation, while the Armenian side awaits a response from Russian peacekeepers regarding whether the cargo can be delivered to besieged Artsakh.

During this time, the Artsakh authorities have rejected the idea of opening the Aghdam Road; nevertheless, the Lachin Corridor remains closed. Samvel Babayan, the former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army and former secretary of the Security Council, has spoken positively about utilizing the Aghdam Road, although this is not unanimously accepted by the people of Artsakh.

In an interview with MediaHub, Babayan emphasized that it should first be noted that after the war, negotiators for Artsakh brought construction materials for the Aghdam Road, preparing to build it.

“Now those same people are presenting it as if someone has come and said, ‘work through Aghdam,’ and they are against it. After the closure of the Hakari Bridge, my suggestion has been to try and conduct trade through that route, but not to Aghdam, rather at the border of Askeran and Aghdam. We should create a center there, so to speak, a 'Sadakhlo' to facilitate trade from both Armenia and Azerbaijan, smooth the process, avoid conflict, and not escalate the situation. But this has nothing to do with political negotiations. People, with their limited understanding, claim that Babayan is proposing integration. I confidently say that the integration process has long begun, and the current authorities are active participants in this process, with Russia as the mediator. I have told the authorities a thousand times—develop a program, a document to move forward, have a package ready, but no, they are comfortable in this situation, to say things today and do them differently tomorrow,” Babayan stated.

When asked about the public perception that he is promoting the narratives that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wants, with some media suggesting that Babayan is a mouthpiece for Pashinyan, he responded:

“I present the situation and propose solutions; perhaps they sometimes coincide with Nikol Pashinyan's statements, but accusing me of being someone’s mouthpiece is a foolish idea because I know my people are in danger, and I make suggestions to rectify the situation. Yes, many defamatory publications can be written about me, as I know about others, but I do not have time now; later, I will deal seriously with everyone—either they will prove or they will answer,” he emphasized.

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