Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian authorities want Azerbaijan’s proximity to the Armenian border villages not to disturb the residents of the border villages, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting with residents of the village of Kirants, Tavush province.

A fragment from the meeting dedicated to the process of delimitation and demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan was posted on the prime minister’s social networks.

“Our goal, our idea is for you to say: “Azerbaijan is 50 meters away” not with alarm, but to say: “It’s good that Azerbaijan is 50 meters away, we will engage in trade there, build a farm.” Maybe a checkpoint will be built through which cars will pass, and the Republic of Armenia will be paid for it,” Pashinyan said.

At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent,” but “he knows that step by step, we will reach 90 percent or more.”

"If we do not take these steps, we guarantee that there will be a new explosion in the region. We are faced with the task of ensuring the rule of law in the region, since over the past 30 years we have lived in an atmosphere of lawlessness. We say that the era of lawlessness must end both on our and their (Azerbaijan - ed.) sides," Pashinyan said.

According to him, by taking this line, “Armenia will become a hundred times stronger.”

The Armenian authorities declare that they agree to begin delimiting the border with Azerbaijan from Tavush. At the same time, they do not rule out the surrender of territories. The opposition accuses the leadership of defeatism and weakening the northeastern borders of the country.