12:03, 3 January 2021

Azerbaijani militaries give three days for residents of Shurnukh to move out

Screenshot of the video "Azerbaijanis enter the village of Shurnukh in the Syunik Region" https://youtu.be/cEpMtCbviHM

An Azerbaijani military post has appeared in the village of Shurnukh in the Syunik Region of Armenia; and residents of a part of the village were ordered to move out by January 5, Akop Arshakyan, the village head, said.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 24, Azerbaijani officials marked the border and demanded that a part of Shurnukh with 12 houses be transferred to Azerbaijan. These houses are to the east of the Goris-Kapan highway, which Baku treats as a border road.

In December, Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian Prime Minister, admitted that the villages of Shurnukh and Vorotan in the Syunik Region were problem areas and promised to pay compensations to the villagers. At the same time, Armenia treats the current separation as temporary.

According to Mr Arshakyan, Azerbaijani militaries justified their claims by the Soviet map of 1942, the "Sputnik Armenia" reports.

In December, Azerbaijani militaries also occupied strategically important positions near the city of Kapan, the capital of the Syunik Region of Armenia, which caused local protests.

The absence of clearly defined borders also causes problems for residents of the Gegarkunik Region of Armenia, where the Sotk deposit is located. Part of the deposit is now in the territory of the Kelbadjar District that came under Baku's control. Villagers do not believe that they will be able to work at the mine after border negotiations; therefore some of them have found new jobs.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 2, 2021 at 10:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.