Armenian Parliament s Defense and Security Committee Member Warns of Military Response to Azerbaijani Syunik Incursion
Armen Khachatryan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defense and Security, told Hetq today that negotiations are underway to defuse the border situation in Syunik, where Azerbaijani troops advanced into Armenia yesterday, claiming that the area is part of Azerbaijan.
Acting Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan described the situation as “unacceptable”, demanding that the Azerbaijani troops pull back to May 10 position. If the Azerbaijani forces do not immediately leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia it will be considered a border violation and may be regarded as an attempt to occupy the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Sserious consequences may arise. In that case, in case of bad consequences, problems may arise for the CSTO. The CSTO must also respond, as this will be considered not only aggression against Armenia,
Reported Azerbaijani troop movements, clashes raise security concern in Armenia
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On May 12, several Armenian media outlets and telegram channels reported clashes n the Syunik region, on the southern border of Armenia, following the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan moving their positions forward towards the Ishkhanasar community.
Deputy Mayor of Goris Irina Yolyan posted on her Facebook page that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have advanced their positions by 3 kilometers.
The Armenian Defense Ministry denied that clashes had taken place. However, the statement of the military department noted that in the morning of May 12, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, under the pretext of ‘clarifying the borders’, tried to carry out certain works at one of the border areas but were stopped after measures taken by the Armenian units. The department did not specify what kind of “works” they are talking about.
Police use force against protesters in Yerevan on April 22
Law-enforcement authorities detained on Thursday several local government officials and other residents of Armenia’s Syunik province where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faced angry protests during an unexpected visit on Wednesday.
The state human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, suggested that at least two of them were mistreated in custody and accused Pashinyan of issuing illegal orders to investigators.
The detainees included Mkhitar Zakaryan, the mayor of the towns of Agarak and Meghri making up a single local community.
Scores of angry local residents insulted Pashinyan and blamed him for Armenia’s defeat in last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh as he walked through the towns on Thursday morning. The prime minister was jeered by a group of other protesters when he headed to Syunik’s capital Kapan later in the day.
Yerevan Court Releases Syunik Vilage Mayor
Yerevan’s Court of General Jurisdiction today released Armen Khachatryan, Mayor of the Syunik village of Hartashen, who had been arrested on charges of “hooliganism” during PM Nikol Pashinyan’s recent trip to the province.
The news of Khachatryan’s release was relayed to Hetq by his lawyer Benik Galstyan.
Pashinyan was greeted with boos and protests during his visit to several communities in the country’s southern province of Syunik.
In Meghri, protesters and police scuffled.
Upon returning to Yerevan, Pashinyan described the incident as a violation of the law and called on police to round up the instigators and publicly bring them to account.
Meğri və Syunikdə Paşinyana etiraz edənləri polisə aparırlar (Video) azadliq.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azadliq.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.