Expert: Border settlements in Armenia remain vulnerable in terms of security

Panorama, Armenia

Armenia’s border settlements remain vulnerable in terms of security, security expert Tigran Abrahamyan, the head of the analytical center Henaket, said on Monday.

His comments came after the latest incident in which the Azerbaijani troops threatened residents of Tegh, a village in Armenia’s Syunik Province, with firearms and did not allow them to gather the harvested grass.

“The threats of Azerbaijanis against our compatriots who carry out agricultural work in the areas close to the villages of Tegh, Aravus and Khnatsakh were discussed in various contexts. There is one important factor here, which, in my opinion, is the cornerstone,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook.

“The main problem remains the lack of necessary defense mechanisms.

“It is not only about the physical presence of our servicemen, but about the viability and efficiency of the system as a whole and its various components.

“With the necessary systems in place, the behavior, aggression and threats of Azerbaijanis would be recorded primarily through them, rather than through alerts from civilians, media reports or phone calls.

“This shows that the settlements that have found themselves in the status of border communities due to the new realities remain vulnerable in terms of security,” the expert said.

He noted that the government is not taking sufficient steps to handle the issue.