We will either live or die, says Voskepar resident

Voskepar resident Artur Stepanyan, speaking with Alpha News, objected to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who said that the alternative to refusing to surrender the four villages demanded by Azerbaijan is war.

“Even if there is an alternative, if you cede these villages to Azerbaijan, then demand the return of hectares of our territories occupied by the enemy. Let there be an exchange. Return them if you can. But he (Pashinyan – ed.) says that he is not able to exchange or return them. Then why are you holding the office? During the meeting with us, he said that he would think about it, and then he left. He may not return, and we wait in vain for him. We have to think about ourselves,” the Voskepar resident said.

70-year-old Arthur Stepanyan invited Nikol Pashinyan to move to his house, a few meters from which the enemy could be located if these villages were to surrender.

“If he wants to surrender these villages, has he thought about where people will live and where they will go? The government should think about this, but, sitting in their chairs, they calmly declare: well, there are only 4 villages; let’s hand them over. If we surrender these villages, we will not have living conditions. Our church will come under Azerbaijan’s control, and their positions will be behind its walls.

Our road, which is of interstate importance, will come under their control, as will the Armenian gas pipeline. If it is blown up, all of Armenia will be left without gas, just like what happened in Artsakh. We will either live or die. But if we surrender these villages, it will become impossible to live. We won’t surrender; we can live; we’ve been living here for 34 years, and everything was fine,” Stepanyan added.

On March 18, Pashinyan visited the villages of Voskepar, Baghanis, and Kirants in the Tavush province and informed residents 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. 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.