A Free Path Will Open for the Adversary Towards Alaverdi and Vanadzor: Voskepar Residents Address Pashinyan

Residents of Voskepar village in the Tavush Province have addressed a message to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, expressing their profound concern regarding the recent statements by various representatives of the Armenian government, including himself, about the return of Azerbaijani-controlled territories adjacent to their community.

“We, the undersigned residents of Voskepar, a border community in Tavush Province, would like to express our deep concerns regarding the recent announcements regarding the return of territories to the Azerbaijani side. First, a few words about how this situation arose in our region. The borders left to us by the former Soviet state were so deliberately entangled and distorted that the roads connecting our community with the rest of Armenia fell under Azerbaijani control. Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, they began violence against our citizens along these road sections, and after 1991, abductions of Armenian citizens started. During those years, several people were abducted from our and adjacent villages, and over forty Armenian citizens disappeared from those road sections.

“In 1991, all houses in the Zarni gorge area of Voskepar were looted, destroyed, and blown up by the adversary, and the village was subjected to near-constant shelling and bombardment. After all this, we embarked on a struggle not to seize territories but to protect and reclaim our right to live and move freely. At a tremendous cost of lives lost and lives disrupted, we achieved this only in 1992.

“Today, as public declarations about the return of these territories are made under the false thesis of 'territorial integrity,' it is absolutely unacceptable for us. Where does this leave our right to live and move freely, which is granted to us under the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights'? Even today, when we are at a certain distance from the adversary’s positions, we are periodically subjected to their encroachments, and our country cannot ensure the safety of our children. What will happen when these territories are returned, and the Azerbaijani presence is within 20-30 meters of our homes, 100 meters from our school, when we are isolated from the outside world and surrounded by hostile elements?

“On the other hand, if we are speaking about 'territorial integrity,' is the opposing side prepared to return the territories that are under Armenia's sovereign control within our territory, such as the 900 hectares near the Berkaberd village on the left bank of the Joghaz Reservoir and the 2-3 km strip of neighboring territories under their control in Koti, not to mention Artsvashen and other areas? We are confident that the adversary is not even contemplating this.

“It is not us who should explain to the Armenian government the strategic importance of even the slightest retreat of borders in this area regarding state security, yet we are compelled to emphasize that as a result of territorial concession in this border section, not only the bordering villages of Berkaberd, Sarigyugh, Tsaghkavan, Kiran, Voskepar, Baghanis, Voskavan, Koti, and Barekamavan will suffer, but Armenia will also lose the Ijevan-Noyemberyan interstate highway. These villages will be emptied, and a free path will open for the adversary towards Alaverdi and Vanadzor. It would be naive to think that the adversary would not demand the surrender of these so-called 'enclaves' as the next step, and what would happen to our country afterward is terrifying to contemplate.

“We hear every day from the president of our not-so-friendly neighboring country demands for even larger ambitions regarding our country, including Zangezur, Sevan, and even Yerevan. This is their behavior: once they are here, their desire to seize what belongs to others will never diminish. They respect only the right of strength and only conclude peace with the powerful. No international law or institution can restrain them.

“Voskepar and the surrounding Armenian settlements have a millennial history. Our villages have existed since at least the 4th century and have managed to survive through centuries of struggles into the 21st century and must continue to exist. The Turkish presence was only introduced here 200 years ago and has always sought to usurp our right to live here, but they have never succeeded. They did not succeed in the 1990s, and they will not succeed today either. The proof of this is our millennia-old cultural structures, fortresses, and churches.

“In conclusion, we hope that you will listen to our words and will seek other solutions in this region that will not involve compromising existing strong defensive lines or infringing on the right of our community’s residents to live and move freely. We, the undersigned, express our disagreement with the satisfaction of territorial demands presented by Azerbaijan and with territorial concessions in this border section. We are ready to defend our right to live and move freely at any cost, to stand with and alongside our army, and to ensure the protection of our homeland and communities.”