Shurnukh village head reports talks with Azerbaijani border guards

The Armenian and Azerbaijani parties are coordinating the location of border posts in the village of Shurnukh; the issue of creating a neutral zone is still open, said Akop Arshakyan, the head of the village.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 24, 2020, Azerbaijani officials, according to the head of the Armenian village of Shurnukh, demarcated the border and demanded that a part of this village with 12 houses be transferred to Azerbaijan. On January 2, the headman of Shurnukh said that an Azerbaijani military post had been set up in the village, and residents of the eastern part of the village were ordered to move out by January 5.

Mr Arshakyan, the head of the village of Shurnukh, believes that the Armenian party should prove, based on the maps, that the part of the village that had been transferred to Azerbaijan actually belongs to Armenia. "We must make all the documents public," he said. The village head also spoke about the moods of Shurnukh villagers. According to his story, they are a little confused, but preserve their "fighting spirit."

According to Aik Avdalyan, a former head of the scientific and technical division of the State Non-Commercial Organization (SNCO) "Geodesy and Cartography Centre", a special commission should be set up to define the exact Armenian-Azerbaijani border. "Now, military maps of the Soviet time are used as the basis; and preliminary demarcation works are underway. In the future, the border should be updated; and a long work should be conducted through negotiations," Mr Avdalyan believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 6, 2021 at 02:49 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.