We Do Not Believe That Tigranashen Will Be Handed Over to the Azerbaijani Side, Says Community Leader

“This is the first time I am hearing from you that the Tigranashen community is to be handed over in the form of an enclave, nobody has informed me about this, I am unaware,” Ludvig Stepanyan, the head of the enlarged community of Paruyr Sevak in the Ararat region, said in an interview with Factinfo.

It is notable that it was the country’s leader, Nikol Pashinyan, who announced that Tigranashen and six villages of Tavush are not included within Armenia’s territorial integrity of 29,800 square kilometers. As such, the current government believes that these areas are not part of the Republic of Armenia and is considering the option of handing them over to Azerbaijan.

Ludvig Stepanyan states that life in the Tigranashen community continues in its normal course, and residents are occupied with their daily concerns.

In response to a journalist's question about whether the intensified discussions regarding the handover of enclaves, including Tigranashen, have caused any concerns for the community leadership or residents, especially since this is openly addressed by the Prime Minister in his public speeches, Ludvig Stepanyan replied, “We do not believe that such a thing can happen, that Tigranashen will be handed over to the Azerbaijani side.”