"Movement of self -cleaning"

Residents of the border villages in Armenia staged a procession to Yerevan with a demand for the resignation of Pashinyan. They are accused of disrupting negotiations with Azerbaijan

The protests flared up in the Tavush region of Armenia because of disagreement with the transfer of four villages to Azerbaijan moved to Yerevan. The shares have become the most massive since 2018, when the current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power.

Since May 4, thousands of people took part in a walking procession, from the north-east of the country to the capital, and the head of the Tavush diocese of the AAC, Archbishop Bagrat Bagrat, was its main character. “New Evrop” under the storms and the scorching sun passed part of the journey with the participants in the procession to Yerevan and found out what caused discontent.

The procession

A silent evening, a large hail with a bang breaks down on the windshield of cars on the Dilizhan-Sevan highway in the northeast of Armenia. A traffic jam of more than a half -pass of cars stretched for several kilometers, the speed and visibility is almost zero.

A bearded man of medium height walks slowly in the left lane of the road surrounded by several other people. He is dressed in a blue cassock, a bolon, and a big cross is visible on his neck. Despite the weather, neither he, nor the following several dozen people stop for a second. A man walking ahead is the 52-year-old head of the Tavush diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), Archbishop Bagrat (in the world of Vazgen- approx. Aut. ) Blastanyan.

He is the leader of the procession, whose participants demand to dismiss Nikola Pashinyan, as well as stop the transfer of the M-16 republican routes to Azerbaijan, which are located on the Tavush border with the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan. They adjoin the Armenian settlements, among which Baganis, Berkaber, Vyzhenyan, Wesecar and Kirantz.

"At the initiative of Baku"

In early April, after the Pashinyan’s visit, the residents of the Tavush region told New Europe that they feared ethnic purges from Baku and the transfer of several segments of the mentioned republican highway M-16 Nohemesberrys under the control of the neighboring state. It connects Armenia with Georgia and is extremely important in terms of export to Russia.

In mid -April, Pashinyan again visited Kiranz and Sukepara, which actually launched the process of divitting the border. Baku should go under the control of the village of Baganis-Airum, Ashagi-Askipara (Lower Wesecar), Hayimli and Kyzyl-Gadzhila.

Before the transfer of lands, the Armenian sappers cleared the territory, and white concrete poles with the inscriptions of ARM and AZ appeared on the new border.

In the Tavush region, mass protests began with the participation of local residents and opposition. One of the main persons was Bagrat Bagrat , the former head of the AAC in Canada, awarded in 2013 the Medal of the Diamond anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II, is popular in the region. This happened, including due to the fact that during the fighting in Nagorno -Karabakh in 2016 and 2020, the archbishop was at the front and conducted military services.

Participants in the shares were indignant that the Armenian authorities did not give them security guarantees. So, Nikol Pashinyan said that there was no exact maps on which delimitation.

“Delimitation is carried out on the basis of the latest maps of the Soviet Union, which have legal force, which is very important. We do not want to limit ourselves to a transfer of any particular card, because it is important for us to expression of legal foundations aimed at ensuring complete delimitation around the entire perimeter of the border of Armenia ”,

- noted Pashinyan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevstated that the proposal for the beginning of Delimitation with Armenia from four villages came from Baku. This further filed the mood of the opposition in Armenia, once again accusing Pashinyan of unilateral concessions. So, the Prime Minister recalled his words that Azerbaijan refused to free the territories of 31 settlements, which Azerbaijan occupied in 2020–2023.

"Seven days will be safe, and on the eighth day - no"

In April, the shares in Tavusha almost daily poured into clashes with the security forces. The tracks were blocked in many regions of the country, the road to the Bagratashen checkpoint on the border with Georgia was blocked.

On April 24, Pashinyan’s wife Anna Akopyan, who came with the youngest daughter to the Tsitermanakababer memorial complex on the day of memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide, was met by the phrases “Nicholas”, “Armenia-Besa Turks”, “Nikol-killer”.

That evening, the security forces dispersed the procession of supporters of the “national democratic pole”, criticizing Pashinyan’s policy and advocating to deepen relations with the United States and the European Union. Several members of the movement participating in the rally in Tsitermanakababer were detained .

A few days later, during another procession, more than 100 UDP supporters were detained , including the head of the organization, a participant in the Nagorno -Karabakh war , Giraire Sepilyan .

On April 29, Nikol Pashinyan, in the wake of protests, met in Yerevan with the initiative group of residents of the village of Kirantz. The conversation went behind closed doors. At the meeting, as the head of the village of Mger Shaginyan later said , the residents learned that, contrary to promises, two houses should go under control of Azerbaijan. About eight more houses will be directly at the border, and it will become impossible to live in them. Baku will also be transferred to the bridge on the M-16 highway, which connects the region with the rest of Armenia.

“The village may not be at all ( after delimitation - approx. Aut. ), Its population may leave at all,” Shaginyan said.

Pashinyan refused to give people security guarantees, the deputy of the National Assembly of Gega Nazaryan told reporters. According to him, the Prime Minister said that on the border that could pass in the middle of the village, "there will be safe seven days, but on the eighth, maybe not."

“The Kiranets are now in shock, they were told that [they] can open the door [at home] and see the Azerbaijani soldier,”

- said the deputy.

The conversations that the border territory in the village of Kiranz will be viewed and unsafe, Pashinyan comments as follows:

"If we are talking about visual visibility, I say - we can plant a tree, we can build a wall."

"We became prisoners in our own country"

The protesters defeated the tents in the village of Kirantz and demanded that the authorities stop the transfer of land. On the way to the settlement, large police officers from different regions of Armenia gathered. On the morning of May 2, special forces dispersed a peaceful action.

More than 30 people, including adolescents of 16-17 years old, were detained: people complained about beating and using excessive power. The entrance to Kirantz was closed for almost a day ( only local residents could get there after the presentation of documents - approx. Auth. ).

“After the morning atrocities, we were not allowed to visit the village. Pashinyan is a liar, all the people around him are also liars. They attacked adults, children. They are so cowardly that they are afraid of even one person. The security forces are kneeling in front of the Turks, and in front of us they build lions out of themselves. We have become prisoners in our own country, this is unacceptable, ” said Blastanyan.

In a village of less than 400 people, about two to three thousand employees of law enforcement agencies, who were supposed to ensure the clearance of the territory to transfer it to Azerbaijan, said a resident of Kiranz Goarik Vardanyan.

The next day, Blastanyan announced that together with other participants in the shares will move to Yerevan to stop the delimitation process.

“Their business is to carry out a unilateral delimitation of the border, our business is to stop. Our victory will come when spiritual Armenia with his value system will defeat the current situation, ”he said.

After that, the archbishop, together with the supporters, knelt before the 96-year-old resident of Kiranz Lena, and she blessed them on the road.

"There will be nothing left of the country soon"

The distance from Kirantz to Yerevan is about 160 kilometers. The group members usually start the path of noon and go at least five hours. The column, along with the Blastanyan, is headed by a member of the Dashnaktsutyun party and a deputy of the National Council of Armenia ( from the AIAST Bloc, former President Robert Kocharyan - approx. Aut. ) Gagik Danielyan and political scientist Surenants. Next to them are relatives of those who died in the 2020 war in Nagorno -Karabakh and media faces.

The processing people occupy two of the three lanes of the M-4 route towards Yerevan. They are accompanied by dozens of police officers who provide movement along the free part of the road.

In the places of the night, bonfires are incurred and tents are broken. Many sleep in their cars. Local residents and businessmen often help with food. So, in the city of Charentsavan ( 30 km from Yerevan - approx. Aut. ) Participants of six were brought a large cauldron with Harisa (a popular dish of bird and poultry meat in Armenia - approx. Author ).

A resident of Tavushsky village Koti Ovik Veranyan from the first days participates in the movement "Tavush in the name of Armenia." He walked from Kiranz to the capital on foot. Veranian told Novy-Europe that he did not agree with Pashinyan's concessions, in response to which Aliyev puts forward more and more new demands.

“Now there are not even any cards on the basis of which Azerbaijan receives the territory. Obviously, this is a policy of unilateral concessions by Armenia and if it continues this way, then there will be nothing left of the country soon. The most equipped, strongest part of the country's defense is located in Tavusha and start delimitation from there, means weakening his position, ”he said.

Protesters from other regions joined the participants in the movement “Tavush in the name of Armenia”. Among them is the 45-year-old Armen, who in the mid-2000s moved to his homeland from France. Until 2020, he lived in the city of Shushi in Nagorno-Karabakh. After his capture by Azerbaijan, Armen moved to the village of Akhano, which was handed over to Baku in the summer of 2022. For the past two years, a man has been living in the village of Shaki of the Syunik region. According to the interlocutor of Novy-Europe, the transfer of territories to the neighboring country violates the Constitution of Armenia.

“Pashinyan has no authority to draw a border in Kiranz and other places without a contract. The decision must go through the Constitutional Court.

We ourselves remove mines and open the gates of Armenia for the enemy. Azerbaijan does not want any peace, they never stopped the war, now they just found a new method and continue the occupation with the help of our power and the police, ”he said.

According to Armen, Baku certainly uses more profitable positions in the future.

“With a convenient situation, they will certainly attack us. Tomorrow or after 10 years. This is a nonsense that some state voluntarily refuses its lands, without receiving anything in return. We have already seen in Ukraine that these drawn borders mean nothing, and we have the same thing, ”Armen said.

During the procession, residents go to the Archbishop of Blastanyan and ask for blessings. Over the past two weeks, he has become the most discussed person in Armenia. In a conversation with the New Evrop, Bagrat said that he did not consider the procession a revolution.

“This is a movement for our honor and dignity, this is about the victory of the truth and the defeat of the lies. The authorities of Armenia do not go to the world. They pray about him and get nothing, ”he said.

In front of each large city, several hundred local residents meet the procession. In these cases, the track completely overlaps for a while. Periodically, Blastanyan makes statements to Megaphone.

“This is the movement of all colors, and all the colors together form white. So - this is a bright movement, a pure movement, the movement of self -cleaning, ”he says.

“The Soviet Union also pressed the church. What happened later? "

Telegram channels controlled by the authorities of Armenia (including Baghramyan-26 and Infotek-24) and some information resources over the past week actively accuse the Blastanyan and other leaders of movement of the pro-Russian position and the desire to return the former leaders of the country to power. In particular, Robert Kocharian, known for the proximity to Vladimir Putin.

According to the Civilnet publication, the Aykakan Zhamanak publication, as well as owned by the deputies of the Premiere Civil Contract of the Civil Contract of the Mededianws, AraratNews and Civic, also actively participate in the information campaign.

Bagrata Srbazan is accused of the fact that he was an “KGB agent”, “received millions of dollars from the Kremlin” and other “misconduct”. However, most of the spreading statements have no actual basis, ”the newspaper writes.

The archbishop himself, in a conversation with the New Evrope, said that he was calm about such criticism.

“God did not promise us flowers, but promised persecution. Therefore, if they so fiercely attack our movement, then we do everything right. Their criticism does not have an ideological support, this is ordinary lies and propaganda, ”he said. Blastanyan also recalled the executions of priests during the USSR.

“In the Soviet period, there was also pressure. What happened to the Soviet Union later? If they want to do similarly, then there is no difference. But what happened to the church? Nothing. But the Soviet Union is no more and will not be, ”he said.

On May 7, Protest Pashinyan first commented on protests. He stated that the fulfillment of the requirements of the protesters "will lead to war."

“The requirement of the clergy to stop the process of delimitation, that is, to stop creating guarantees of Armenian security, to stop the process of establishing the sovereignty of Armenia will lead to war.

Forces that require to stop delimitation, with the assistance of some external forces, will do everything for the occupation of new territories of Armenia, use this for political changes in Armenia without elections, that is, they will establish a puppet regime with the subsequent de facto and de jury of Armenia, ”he said at a press conference.

New conditions of Aliyev

According to Pashinyan, the work on the delimitation of borders in the Tavush region has already been completed by 90%. Despite this, the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet agreed on the signing of a peace treaty and its basic principles. So, Pashinyan claims that the contract may be concluded until November 2024.

“I agree with the idea of ​​concluding a peace treaty until November. To do this, you need to fix and state in a peaceful contract all the principles agreed during negotiations and sign it, ”he said at a press conference.

At the same time, at the end of April, Ilham Aliyev said that one of the preliminary conditions for the signing of a peace treaty is to amend the Constitution of Armenia.

“In the Armenian Constitution there is a reference to the Declaration of Independence, which states that the so -called Nagorny Karabakh is part of Armenia. How can we sign a peace agreement if they have such a record in the Constitution? ”

- said the President of Azerbaijan.

This is not the only preliminary condition. Aliyev also demands from Armenia to remove Mount Ararat from the coat of arms, which is now located in the actual territory of Turkey. “They have many mountains in Armenia, let them choose another if they want,” added Aliyev.

On the afternoon of May 9, Archbishop Bagrat with a thousand associates reached Yerevan. For the first time during the shares, he was dressed in white. As he notes is a symbol of reconciliation, victory and peace.

In the morning of the same day, almost all law enforcement agencies of Armenia threatened the participants in the shares of force. So the National Security Service said that "any unlawful action that threatens the constitutional system will be neutralized by all legal instruments." The Ministry of Internal Affairs threatened that “any illegal manifestation will be punished accordingly,” and in the UK directly declared possible criminal cases.

The rally was attended by the former heads of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia Vardan Oscanyan, Ara Aivazyan, ex-speaker of the Karabakh parliament Ashot Gulyan and the son of ex-president Robert Kocharian Levon Kocharian.

According to some estimates, from 18 to 20 thousand people gathered in Yerevan on May 9. Around 18:40 (17:40 Moscow time) Bagrat Bagrat Bagratyan set an ultimatum, saying that Pashinyan has an hour to resign, but the Armenian authorities did not react in any way. After that, the opposition decided to launch the impeachment procedure Pashinyan.

“We begin the impeachment procedure in parliament, we will consult this with all three parliamentary factions,”

- said Blastanyan.

Mass protests are held against the backdrop of a rare official meeting of the leaders of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia and Azerbaijan without European or Russian intermediaries. On May 10, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jahun Bayramov will negotiate in Almaty.

Already now it is clear that the protests will not end there. The following shares will be held not only in Armenia, but also beyond its borders, in dozens of cities in Europe. Так, 12 мая демонстрации в поддержку движения состоятся в Германии, Франции, Великобритании и других странах.