We Are Cleaning Up, We Have Buried the Dead, Now We Should Think About Living: The Eagle Statue at the Entrance of Kiran is Being Removed

In Kiran, 100 meters from the bridge towards the village, one of the demarcation columns placed near the river has been swept away by the water. This was reported to NEWS.am by one of the residents of Kiran, indicating that neither the pillar nor the two guards monitoring it were present.

“Most likely, the pillar was swept away days ago when the Debet and Akhuryan rivers were swollen. This was one of the closest pillars to the village,” he said. The Kiran resident noted that although the demarcation has been implemented, Azerbaijani forces have not yet been deployed in that area, and they are waiting for the alternative road to be constructed.

“When they deploy, they will be located only 100 or 50 meters from the houses, and it is difficult in that situation to predict what decision the villagers will make, whether to stay or leave,” he added.

Kamo Shahinyan, the mayor of Kiran, also told NEWS.am that they are currently removing the famous eagle statue located at the entrance of Kiran. “We are cleaning up, there's nothing more to do; we have buried the dead, and now we should think about living. The residents have not left the village yet, but we need to understand what we are doing; we still don’t understand anything. An alternative road is being built, the Azerbaijanis have not fully descended near the three points, the old road is still operational. They will likely finish the alternative road by July 24 and then they will descend,” he said.

It is noteworthy that just days ago, Prime Minister Pashinyan visited the village, wanting to meet with the villagers; however, the residents of Kiran received him very poorly, voicing accusations outside and refusing to meet in the school building. Many of the Kiran residents have also declined government compensation for their houses, buildings, or land.