Armenian soldiers pass directly by the Azerbaijani border post while going to the post near Lake Garagol.
According to Modern.az, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan stated this in a statement to journalists on January 13.
The minister disagreed with claims that Azerbaijani servicemen stopped and searched Armenian soldiers at that location. He confirmed that Armenian soldiers passed near the Azerbaijani border post but denied that they were searched.
S. Papikyan stated that there are two options: either Armenia must permanently withdraw from this position, or Armenian servicemen must continue to pass by the Azerbaijani border post.
According to the minister, the issue falls within the competence of the demarcation and delimitation commissions:
“I cannot make this decision alone. If I issue an order to abandon that position, I will unequivocally be accused of conceding territory," the minister said.
Papikyan stated that the tense situation around Lake Garagol has continued from May 2021 until the present day.
It should be recalled that the territory of Lake Garagol is located at an altitude of 2658 meters above sea level, on the border of Azerbaijan's Lachin district and Armenia's Goris district. The territory was under Armenian occupation for many years.
Units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces restored the state border in the direction of Lake Garagol on May 12, 2021. At that time, official Yerevan was proclaiming to the world that, allegedly, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had crossed the border and entered Armenian territory by several kilometers.
However, disregarding all provocations and pressures, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces did not withdraw from the vicinity of Lake Garagol; on the contrary, they strengthened their positions in the area.
It should be noted that Armenia had advanced the state border in the aforementioned territory after occupying Lachin back in 1992. As a result, they had appropriated the Garagol region within Lachin territory.
Armenia, which kept the Lachin region under occupation until November 2020, did not agree to the restoration of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders after its defeat in the Second Karabakh War.
The Azerbaijani Armed Forces recaptured the area around Lake Garagol from the enemy, forcing them to retreat. The Armenian army attempted to create armed clashes in the area several times.
A.Gorkhmaz
