Soldier’s mother: Armenian PM, rather than Azerbaijanis, blocked Lachin road

The mother of the Armenian soldier Hayk Melikyan, who was killed in the 44-day Second Karabakh war, Naira Melikyan, has said that the parents of several soldiers want to visit Karabakh.

“There is a well-known decision of the Hague court on the opening of the Lachin road. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced that the road is open. We will go there to see the real situation. We will also see the current situation at our borders. There is no clear information, and people should know what is happening. People must know everything for the scenario of the 44-day war not to reoccur when the Armenian authorities lied during 44 days that everything is fine, we are winning,” she told reporters.

Melikyan noted that there is a checkpoint in Tekh village before reaching the Lachin road. It is strange but the checkpoint there is Armenian, rather than Turkish or Russian. The question arises. Why don't they let us through then?

“You know, I don't know where the remains of my child are. For example, I want to go and put flowers there. We do not go with weapons or troops, this is a peaceful rally. Will Azerbaijanis shoot at us? They say that the road is open. The Hague court also says that it is your right. Should we be shot for this? What is the problem with security? That is, there is no such a question. They [Armenian authorities] are just saying this to justify why they do not allow to visit Karabakh. This will be evidence for us that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, rather than Azerbaijanis, blocked the road.

“Everything was hidden from us all this time. Why did they hide information from us during the 44-day war? Why did Artsrun Hovhannisyan say that we were winning? Why did they distort everything? Now the same scenario is reoccurring,” she said.