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Armenia’s former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan claims that the statement of the Defense Ministry dismissing the Azerbaijani military's advancement near the village of Nerkin Hand in Syunik Province is not true.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Tatoyan said the statement justifies Azerbaijan’s move and endangers the life of the people.

“Specifically, there are at least the following facts at this point:

1. Nearly two weeks ago, the Azerbaijani troops freely advanced up to 1 kilometer into Armenian territory, in particular towards the village of Nerkin Hand of Kapan community and set up tents in the area. To be more precise, it’s about the former village located in the administrative territory of Nerkin Hand.

2. After the invasion, the Azerbaijani servicemen began to build for themselves a road leading to "their new positions,", also using machinery. The work was halted only because of bad weather conditions in the past few days, in particular the snow.

3. The residents of Nerkin Hand were aware of the incursion from the beginning; they noticed the Azerbaijani soldiers, and the lack of explanations from the government left them in a state of uncertainty and anxiety.

4. In recent days, there has been fair public debates on the incursion of Azerbaijani forces into the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and there have been media reports on the matter.

5. The Ministry of Defense was forced to issue an official statement "categorically denying" the incursion, noting: “In the specified area, which is under Azerbaijani control, Azerbaijani units have several positions that are not equipped and cannot be used in winter. Now, due to changing weather conditions, Azerbaijani servicemen are returning to these positions.”

“The statement by the Defense Ministry does not correspond to reality,” Tatoyan said.

“First, according to the residents of Nerkin Hand and several neighboring villages, snowfall was recorded only in December and January, but it did not lead to impassability of roads, while in February there were spring-like conditions.

“I myself was in these areas in 2021, in early December, and on February 16 and 17, 2022, and I can confirm that during both visits the weather conditions were spring-like, and the dirt roads were even mostly dry. Thus, contrary to the claims of the Defense Ministry, weather conditions could not have caused the area to be unusable.

“In addition, there have never been any Azerbaijani positions in the area. Nor are there any Armenian positions there.

“Moreover, according to the villagers' accounts, they unhinderedly used the places where the Azerbaijani troops had invaded and were illegally stationed throughout the previous season, including pastures and lands. There has never been a single Azerbaijani soldier in those places.

“The Azerbaijani military is currently stationed in a place which is absolutely unacceptable in terms of the village security and human rights, keeping the village under direct monitoring.

“Therefore, the above-mentioned statement of the Defense Ministry is reprehensible and it effectively cedes a part of Armenia's sovereign territory to Azerbaijan," the ex-ombudsman stated.