Mayor of Armenian Kapan says positional changes on border with Azerbaijan not ruled out
25.12.2020,
16:58
Gevor Parsyan, the mayor of Kapan, the administrative capital of the southern Armenian province of Syunik, told a parliamentary hearing today that positional changes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border were not ruled out.
YEREVAN, December 25. /ARKA/. Gevor Parsyan, the mayor of Kapan, the administrative capital of the southern Armenian province of Syunik, told a parliamentary hearing today that positional changes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border were not ruled out.
The mayor said also that no delimitation of the border was being made. In his words, the sides were actually defining their military positions with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping forces.
"For example, yesterday a group of Azerbaijanis approached our borders for negotiations with employees of our Ministry of Defense. On our side, a general was involved in the negotiations, who is now coordinating the defense of our borders," the mayor said.
According to him, the Azerbaijanis suggested that the sides move their positions 100-200 meters away from the borders on both sides so that the soldiers did not contact each other and no new conflicts arose.
Parsyan noted that the Armenian Ministry of Defense proposed a systematic approach: to do so along the entire length of the border, since there were sections where Azerbaijanis approached the border too close. Armenian army units and local militias had to withdraw from parts of Zangelan and Kubatli districts of Azerbaijan, bordering Armenia's Syunik, which were recaptured by Azerbaijani armed forces in the recent war.
The withdrawal of Armenian forces caused the anger of some of local residents, who staged protests, claiming they can no longer feel safe because Azerbaijani forces will be deployed too close to their communities and part of the road stretching from Goris to Kapan.
According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the authorities believe that although this process may become a reason for various comments, the fact is that a new system of guaranteeing the security of Syunik and Armenia is being built now. -0-
The mayor said also that no delimitation of the border was being made. In his words, the sides were actually defining their military positions with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping forces.
"For example, yesterday a group of Azerbaijanis approached our borders for negotiations with employees of our Ministry of Defense. On our side, a general was involved in the negotiations, who is now coordinating the defense of our borders," the mayor said.
According to him, the Azerbaijanis suggested that the sides move their positions 100-200 meters away from the borders on both sides so that the soldiers did not contact each other and no new conflicts arose.
Parsyan noted that the Armenian Ministry of Defense proposed a systematic approach: to do so along the entire length of the border, since there were sections where Azerbaijanis approached the border too close. Armenian army units and local militias had to withdraw from parts of Zangelan and Kubatli districts of Azerbaijan, bordering Armenia's Syunik, which were recaptured by Azerbaijani armed forces in the recent war.
The withdrawal of Armenian forces caused the anger of some of local residents, who staged protests, claiming they can no longer feel safe because Azerbaijani forces will be deployed too close to their communities and part of the road stretching from Goris to Kapan.
According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the authorities believe that although this process may become a reason for various comments, the fact is that a new system of guaranteeing the security of Syunik and Armenia is being built now. -0-
