Mihran Makhsudyan: Our position is the same: villages should not be surrendered, we are waiting for PM’s answer

Residents of the village of Voskepar are still waiting for an answer from the Armenian government regarding the surrender of the villages demanded by Azerbaijan.
In an interview with Alpha News, a resident of Voskepar, Colonel Mihran Makhsudyan, said that if the people’s demands are not met—if the border villages are surrendered to Azerbaijan—the people will decide what to do.

“Time will come, and we will say [what we will do]. Our position is the same: villages should not be surrendered, period. We are waiting for the Prime Minister’s answer,” he said.

A week ago, on March 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with residents of the villages of Voskepar, Baghanis, and Kirants in the Tavush region and touched upon the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Pashinyan said that the real process of delimitation and demarcation of the border can be started in the area between Baghanis and Berkaber, on the territory of which there are villages that Azerbaijan claims as their own, for example, Nerkin Voskepar, which Azerbaijan calls “Ashagh Aksipara”. There are no inhabitants in this village; it is located between the combat positions of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also lays claim to three other villages in the area: Baghanis Ayrum, Kheyrimli, and Gezilhajili, which are also uninhabited.

The Armenia-Georgia interstate road passes through the village of Nerkin Voskepar. If this village is controlled by Azerbaijan, the operation of the road will become impossible.

Earlier, speaking with Alpha News, Makhsudyan noted that the residents of Voskepar are determined not to cede their land to the enemy and, in the event of such a danger, they will fight with weapons in their hands to keep it Armenian. Village residents are waiting for the head of government’s decision on this issue.

“We will wait from a week to ten days. The villagers wanted to take decisive action, and the head of the community and I asked them to wait. Maybe this person will make the right decision and present it to the public. We do not want to question the Prime Minister’s promises. I believe they will make a reasonable offer to the people,” Makhsudyan said.