By Karine Simonian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan appears to be facing mounting backlash from residents of villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province adjacent to contested border areas which he wants to hand over to Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan signaled plans to unilaterally make such concessions before visiting on Monday, March 18, two of those villages, Voskepar and Kirants. He insisted there that the areas, which used to be occupied by four Azerbaijani villages seized by Armenian forces in 1991-1992, are not part of Armenia’s internationally recognized territory. He admitted that Azerbaijan would not reciprocate his concessions by liberating larger swathes of Tavush territory occupied by it at the time.
Many local residents rejected Pashinyan’s plans despite his claims that Azerbaijan will invade Armenia unless he cedes the deserted former villages strategically located along one of the two main Armenian highways leading to Georgia. They argued that they would lose access to their agricultural land, have trouble communicating with the rest of the country and be far more vulnerable to Azerbaijani armed attacks.
Popular resentment seems particularly strong in Voskepar, which would be affected by the handover more than any other Tavush community. Following Pashinyan’s trip, several dozen local residents gathered to warn against any Armenian troop withdrawal from the area.
On Thursday, March 21, some villagers took to social media to start collecting signatures in support of their demands for Pashinyan to drop his plans. One of their petitions is addressed to international human rights bodies.
