«I don’t know whose it was—Azerbaijani or Armenian—but now it is ours and will remain ours»: Head of Baghanis

We will stand by Nikol Pashinyan, and together we will protect Baghanis. The Prime Minister will not give away the lands, and when he comes to Tavush to meet with us, he too will feel that he should not give them away.

This opinion was expressed by Gevorg Sahakyan, the head of the Baghanis community in Tavush province, in an interview with 24News. In response to the media’s citation that the Prime Minister openly stated that those four villages have never been part of the Republic of Armenia, Sahakyan indicated that he agrees with Nikol Pashinyan on this matter.

“I’ll tell you straight out, he is right. There is no question about it—those lands belong to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani people lived specifically in Baghanis-Ayrum. But I don’t know whose it really was—Azerbaijani or Armenian. What I do know is that it is ours now, and it will remain ours,” he stated.