On Anniversary of Ceasefire, Apprehension, Resilience, and Defiance along the Armenian Border

This, despite the fact that the road was built by Armenian work crews, financed by Armenian tax dollars, and connects Armenia to Armenia with no connection to the Azerbaijani road network. This blatant attempt at intimidation has only hastened Armenia’s attempts at unleashing itself from Azerbaijan’s chokehold on its economic routes.

The Tatev-Kapan road, which totally bypasses the border, has been repaved in record time, and is expected to formally open to traffic this month. Iranian truckers, eager to escape what they consider to be “highway robbery,” are already taking this new road. “If we don’t use the new road, we’d be forced to pay $260 to the Azerbaijanis,” says Ali, a truck driver resting on the side of the road near the Meghri border crossing into Iran.

For those who do choose the Vorotan road, even the promise of payment may not be enough to ensure safe passage. Two Iranian nationals who were apprehended by Azerbaijani border guards in September were not released until late October, after Iran began conducting war games on the Azerbaijani border, sending a clear message that it would not allow itself to be intimidated by Baku.

Just a few miles south of the incident, villagers of the now-divided town of Shurnukh must now contend with sharing their village with Azerbaijani border troops. About 10 homes were lost to the Azerbaijanis following the ceasefire since they were technically on the wrong side of the border, which is marked by the highway intersecting the town. Some of these houses now serve as barracks and guard posts for Azerbaijanis. Directly across from them, on the Armenian side, Russian border guards observe their every move. They man a joint post with the Armenian National Security Service. “Seeing Azerbaijani flags from our window is quite distressing,” says Lilit, a resident of the town, “but the presence of the Russians is quite reassuring.” She reports no incidents.

The Armenian government has already launched the construction of a new district in the town to house the 10 families that lost their homes last December. This development is part of a larger set of upgrades that the town of Shurnukh, as well as other villages near the frontier have been granted to compensate for any loss of productivity that the new situation has caused. Having been granted “border town status,” settlements all along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border, including those in Tavush and Gegharkunik, are exempt from paying property and income tax, receive subsidized utilities and are eligible for other forms of grants to spur entrepreneurial activity.

This vitality is apparent in the village of Chakaten, a small settlement about 5 miles south of Kapan, which is only accessible through a road which, once again, runs a gauntlet between Azerbaijani positions on its eastern edge, with Armenian and Russian posts on the western side. There, a small couple has recently opened a convenience store – the town’s only source for these products. They report Azerbaijani intimidation, but little in terms of actual threat to the local population. “The Azerbaijanis near the road are too scared to block traffic,” says Hasmik, the store owner. “Well, the only time they do try to stop cars is to ask for cigarettes” her husband interjects.

They report that the town has endured problems since the Azerbaijanis moved their positions nearby. The spring which once supplied the town is now on the Azerbaijani side, and water has been cut. They also went through several months of near-isolation as the communications tower on a hill now on the wrong side of the border had to be reinstalled elsewhere. Some of the farmland right on the border also lies uncultivated as farmers are wary about going there alone. At least four heads of cattle have also been stolen by them. “We know what the Azerbaijanis are doing, they’re trying to intimidate us,” says Karen, a music teacher from Kapan visiting the village. “But we’re not going to go anywhere.”

This phrase, “We’re not going anywhere,” is repeated multiple times throughout the border regions, from Meghri to Yeraskh.