Category: 2021

Almost immediately after the end of the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan launched two major road construction projects in the occupied territories of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and aimed at creating highways and infrastructure leading to Shushi city, writes monumentwatch.org which monitors Artsakh’s cultural heritage. It added as follows:

The first of these roads also has an ideological meaning for the Azerbaijani side. It is not accidental that it has been called “Victory Road” because, according to the Azerbaijani side, it repeats the road paved by the Azerbaijani army, special forces to “liberate” Shushi. On the way, this name was given by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, and it groundbreaking was held on November 16, 2020. It will be a new road directly connecting Baku with Shushi, and which, according to the Azerbaijani side, will bypass the territories under the control of Russian peacekeepers and Armenians (lenta.ru).

According to the information spread by the Azerbaijani news websites, “Victory Road” shall connect the Fizuli region with Shushi, the regional capital of Fizuli. Its length will be 101.5 km. It will pass through 20 settlements, including Togh, Mets Tagher, Avetaranots, Sghnakh, and Karin Tak, the names of which are simply mentioned in the news videos about the road.

Simultaneously with the construction of this road, the Azerbaijani side is constructing another large Fizuli-Shushi road which in some places will intersect with “Victory Road.” The first road will have two lanes and the second will have six lanes. The construction of these roads is carried out by Azerbaijani and Turkish road construction companies, of which the Azerbaijani ones operate under the Azerbaijani state bodies, and the Turkish ones have extensive experience in complex road construction. Such are Azvirt, “KOLİN” İnşaat Turizm San. and some other organizations.

These two road construction projects pose a great danger to the monuments in the Azerbaijani-occupied territories of Artsakh, as the Azerbaijani side is carrying out enormous land changes and, in particular, changes in the surrounding landscape and relief—and based on the plan of the roads to be built. In particular, a large number of trees are being cut down, large-scale leveling and widening works as well as blasts are being carried out, and all buildings and structures obstructing the road are being demolished or there is a danger to them. It should be noted here that all the monuments around or near which the Azerbaijani side carries out road construction or other works are in such danger.

The Tukhnakal mansion not far from the village of Moshkhmhat, the sanctuary of Sister Heghine, the St. Astvatsatsin Church and the cemetery of Madatashen village, as well as the old bridge of Avetaranots village, and the Tahis built on the Ishkhanaget river bridge near Mets Tagher village, etc. are endangered in this way. The Azokh village memorial to the victims of the Great Patriotic War, the Armenian Genocide, and the Artsakh liberation war was also destroyed.

Large underground tunnels are being built in the Sghnakh village section. The destruction of the cemetery of Sghnakh village is a fresh result of the elimination of such a “barrier” to road construction. The areas of the large northwestern cemetery of Mets Tagher village and “Makun” Bridge have been destroyed and leveled.

According to Azerbaijani official sources, “Victory Road” will be the first to be put into operation—and this will be in the fall.

Armenia is ready to hand over the minefield maps to Azerbaijan in exchange for the captives. Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during Friday’s online meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS member countries.

The PM added with regret that, contrary to the eighth point of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan has not yet returned all the Armenian captives.

He stressed that this issue concerns not only prisoners of war, but also civilians who are illegally detained in Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan reiterated Yerevan’s readiness to provide Baku with the minefields maps that do not harm Armenia’s security interests.

“This is a purely humanitarian issue, and we expect a solution as soon as possible,” added the Armenian premier.

Azerbaijani soldiers have become so unrestrained that they deliberately set on fire 8,000 ha of grass of a resident of Yeraskh village with gunshots, destroying all the stocks that the citizen had worked hard to gather all year to feed his cattle during the winter. This is stated in the statement that Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan issued today.

“Yeraskh village of Ararat Province of Armenia is shelled by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from time to time, in the afternoon and at night.

It was shelled again today in the afternoon as well.

Azerbaijani soldiers have become so unrestrained that they deliberately set on fire 8,000 ha of grass of a resident of Yeraskh village with gunshots, destroying all the stocks that the citizen had worked hard to gather all year to feed his cattle during the winter.

Moreover, the fire spread and set the roof of the citizen’s barn on fire. It was possible to put out the fire and make sure it didn’t burn the other part of the roof only when firefighters arrived at the scene on time.

 These data were verified and confirmed through alerts sent to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, objective evidence and data verified through several sources. The Ministry of Defense of Armenia also confirmed the gunshots fired by Azerbaijan at the military posts of the Armed Forces protecting Yeraskh village and the population.

Taking into consideration the fact that the Azerbaijani military posts are located directly next to the village, it is clear for the Azerbaijani soldiers that they are causing damage to villagers, destroying their properties, violating their right to life and right of ownership and undermining peace and security.

It is necessary to immediately start the process of creating a demilitarized buffer zone around the borders of Armenia with Azerbaijan and immediately removing Azerbaijani armed officers from the area near Armenia’s villages and the roads in-between villages.

This proposal of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has already been included in a specific international document, that is, the Resolution 2391 (2021) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of September 27, 2021. The Human Rights Defender will also send relevant reports to international organizations and Armenia’s state bodies and civil society organizations.

It is clear that the basis for these criminal encroachments and gross violations of human rights and the source is the Azerbaijani authorities’ Armenophobic, hostile and genocidal policy of ethnic cleansing. This policy has institutional grounds, and the violations won’t be eliminated and the people’s security won’t be ensured so long as the perpetrators of the crime haven’t been punished,” Tatoyan wrote.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to commit gross violations of the ceasefire regime established through the trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020, and even a number of Armenian servicemen have received injuries. This is stated in the statement issued by the opposition “Armenia” alliance.

“The undignified policy that the authorities of Armenia are leading after the 44-day war that began on September 27, 2020 is not preventing the gross violations of the universal principles of international humanitarian and international law that the Azerbaijani authorities continue to commit.

The constant de facto unilateral peace-loving calls and the failure to respond to aggressive statements aren’t helping establish real and dignified peace.

By using the toolkit in the National Assembly, “Armenia” alliance will take all the possible measures to receive answers to specific questions regarding the mentioned incidents and the tense situation on the borders of Armenia in general and will even hold a discussion on an urgent topic in order to ensure fulfillment of the duty to be held accountable to the people,” the statement also reads.

During today’s session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev blamed the Iranians and Armenians for the alleged collapse of 16 of the 17 mosques in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that one mosque remained for “display of solidarity” and an attempt was made to present it as a Persian mosque through the mediation of specialists from Iran.

Aliyev stated that the stones of houses and buildings in the occupied territories have been sold in Armenia and Iran.

“There has also been great damage to nature. Nearly 60,000 hectares of forests have been deforested and sold in Armenia and Iran,” he added.