Armenia’s former human rights defender Arman Tatoyan on Monday warned of serious security risks, saying the current process of delimiting borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the activities of the commission headed by the deputy prime minister, contradict Armenia’s Constitution.
Tatoyan explained in a post on his Facebook page that the commission does not have the power to make decisions and was appointed using a law that enables the head of the government to appoint advisory bodies to provide assessments and input.
He emphasized that gross mistakes are being made, which can lead to irreversible consequences for Armenia.
Tatoyan warned that the current process has nothing in common with the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation because that process implies the availability of maps, a detailed cadastral survey, assessment of requirements, study of roadmaps, and mandatory accounting of the population’s rights.
He outlined the gross rights violations of the residents of the border provinces, who are currently at the center of a decision announced by the commission to cede four villages in the Tavush Province to Azerbaijan without official Baku committing to any similar steps.
The government announced Monday that already 35 new border posts have been installed to conform to the decision announced on April 19 about Tavush villages. Tatoyan said Monday that the border delimitation commission has no right to make statement that may have consequences for the entire country.
He warned that the decision of the commission to delimit the borders in the Tavush Province have only made it possible for the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to inch closer to the neighboring Armenian villages.
“That commission was created on the basis of an individual legal act by the head of the government, based on the law that allows the creation of bodies solely for consultative purposes,” Tatoyan said.
The activities of the commission, therefore, remain only within the confines of the said body.
“If regulations have not been determined, if the issues surrounding the draft have not been agreed upon, how can one make statements on behalf of that commission that will lead to consequences regarding the violation of the safety of the population?” Tatoyan emphasized.
Tatoyan warned that Azerbaijan’s policy is aimed at destroying Armenia’s security apparatus, emphasizing the need for Armenia to urgently adopt a new security strategy. He said, however, such an effort would not be possible under the policies of the current Armenian authorities.
“The first principle is a stable system of ensuring the security of the state and the individual citizen with the preservation of the Armenian identity. In addition, the strategy should be based on guarantees, including the rule of law, real democratic values, effective state system, combat readiness of the army, and other principles,” Tatoyan explained.