Unfortunately, what I feared came true. Incumbent mayor Gevorg Parsyan, who won Sunday’s local elections in Kapan, Armenia, told reporters this, referring to the announcement about setting up an Azerbaijani checkpoint at the Chakaten village section tonight.
"It is a very serious problem for us because those settlements, by and large, do not have an alternative road if that road is closed now; the only alternative is through Meghri [city]. In fact, the 7-8 km road to reach Kapan becomes 150 km [for them]. The only short alternative road that was built in the [19]90s is a through a forest and a very difficult-to-pass road on which a lot of work needs to be done. From tomorrow already we have to think about the residents of those six villages of ours," Parsyan said.
According to him, there is the option of the road through Meghri to resolve the food issue of the aforesaid settlements, and he is convinced that this issue will be resolved.
"About 600-700 people live in those six villages. The works have been carried out for two days already, since the day when a customs checkpoint [of Azerbaijan] was set up in Vorotan [village] section. We will definitely collaborate with the executive [branch of] power at all official levels; it is inevitable, as Kapan is a community, a part of the state, we must overcome all this together. On June 20, the people made their choice [in the snap parliamentary elections], authorities have been formed and whose head is [PM] Nikol Pashinyan, there is a government, local self-government bodies, collaboration is inevitable," Gevorg Parsyan said.
