17 December 2020, 11:48
Villagers from Lachin Corridor tell details of the three days in blockade
The villages of Khin Shen and Mets Shen of Nagorno-Karabakh were unblocked following the results of negotiations of Russian peacemakers with Azerbaijan. Negotiations are underway to withdraw Azerbaijani militaries out of the village of Ekhtsaokh.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 13, Azerbaijani militaries took control over the only road connecting the village of Khin Shen in the Shushi District of Nagorno-Karabakh with the Berdzor (Lachin)-Shushi highway. Residents of Khin Shen were trapped in the village, while those of the neighbouring Mets Shen community left their homes.
The "Caucasian Knot" has drafted a map to show the territories that are passed over to Azerbaijan after the autumn war. Also, the "Caucasian Knot" has published a deployment map of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The Russian peacemakers have reached an agreement on the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the villages of Khin Shen and Mets Shen. But in the vicinity of Khin Shen, several Azerbaijani armed groups of 15 people each remain. Negotiations are underway, so that these groups also retreat to their former positions," said Tigran Tsatryan, the acting head of the Shushi District.
The Lachin District, with the exception of the corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, passed under Azerbaijan's control on December 1. Baku insists on changing the route of the corridor in order to gain control over the city of Lachin located there. Local residents do not feel safe.
Mr Tsatryan has added that on December 15, Azerbaijan put forward its claims on the village of Ekhtsaokh and demanded that all its residents, as well as Armenian militaries, leave the village. However, the intervention of Russian peacemakers has prevented the conflict.
Samvel Tavadyan, a teacher of the Mets Shen village school, believes that Azerbaijan "seeks to occupy strategically important heights."
Angin Sargsyan said that her family settled in Khin Shen after leaving the village of Talish in the Martakert District due to the renewal of hostilities in 2016. "We were surrounded for three days, but I was not ready to leave my home again. Here we all started from scratch, created a house and a household," said the woman.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 17, 2020 at 03:40 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Alvard Grigoryan Source: CK correspondent
