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Iran specialist Vardan Voskanyan has reacted to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest remarks on Tigranashen, a village in Armenia’s Ararat Province which may be handed over to Azerbaijan as part of a potential peace deal between the two countries.

He claims the village is of strategic importance for Armenia.

"I must have travelled along the Vedi-Urtsadzor-Lanjanist-Lusashog-Lanjar-Zangakatun road, which is an alternative to the main Yeraskh-Tigranashen-Zangakatun highway, a hundred times,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday, highlighting the stunning landscapes in the area.

“However, the road in its current state cannot provide for traffic flows not only between Armenia and Iran, but also between Vayots Dzor and Syunik Provinces and the rest of Armenia,” he claimed.

The expert stressed the narrow road section connecting the villages of Shaghap and Lanjanist, as well as the Vedi road are difficult to pass even for passenger vehicles and a few trucks could create a huge traffic jam.

“In this sense, the role of Tigranashen is not overestimated at all, it is indeed a vital part of an international road of strategic importance. Like every other piece of sacred Armenian land, it should not be ceded to the enemy,” Voskanyan stated.