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Re: Military Forces of the Republic of Armenia
The main road from Ijevan to Berd, in Armenia’s Tavush province, remains closed, 20 days after a border skirmish that left one conscript dead and other wounded.
On October 22, 19-year-old conscript Garik Petrosyan died of an Azeri bullet, while several others received wounds of various severity, as Azeri soldiers opened gunfire on passing vehicles in the Paravakar section of Ijevan-Berd highway. Immediately after the incident a decision was made to shut the road as a precaution against further danger.
Defense Ministry press secretary Artsrun Hovhannisyan told ArmeniaNow that up until today the Azeri side keeps violating the ceasefire regime and opening the road would be dangerous under the given circumstances.
“Every single day, without an exception, one day more, one day less, the opponent violates the ceasefire,” he says adding that measures are taken to ensure the safety of the blocked highway. “Because the highway is of national importance, it cannot be completely closed, hence it has to be turned safer, although there is a possibility that the old bypassing roads would get repaired.”
There are two alternatives to Ijevan-Berd highway – Chambarak-Berd and Ijevan-Gandzasar-Berd mountain roads – both in near-unusable condition, with no state budget money for their repair either in the past or at present.
“The alternative roads are rather long – more than 40 km, and at the moment their reconstruction and asphalting is impossible, it would take huge money. At least, it is not in the budget plan for 2014. Information panels and road signs will be added to help people orient better and not lose their way in the mountains,” Henrik Kochinyan, head of the “Armenian Roads Directorate” NCSO at the ministry of transport and communications, told ArmeniaNow.
Despite the fact that these roads are of strategic importance, Kochinyan says, when investing in a road its economic value is considered, rather than strategic.
“Not many cars travel along those roads, if we take a look only at the economic factor, construction of that road is not justified, meaning we have to possess so much money that can afford putting aside the economic factor and spend money for purely strategic purposes. Unfortunately, the state budget now has a limited capacity,” he says, promising that during winter precipitation what’s necessary would be done to keep the mountain passes open.
The main road from Ijevan to Berd, in Armenia’s Tavush province, remains closed, 20 days after a border skirmish that left one conscript dead and other wounded.
On October 22, 19-year-old conscript Garik Petrosyan died of an Azeri bullet, while several others received wounds of various severity, as Azeri soldiers opened gunfire on passing vehicles in the Paravakar section of Ijevan-Berd highway. Immediately after the incident a decision was made to shut the road as a precaution against further danger.
Defense Ministry press secretary Artsrun Hovhannisyan told ArmeniaNow that up until today the Azeri side keeps violating the ceasefire regime and opening the road would be dangerous under the given circumstances.
“Every single day, without an exception, one day more, one day less, the opponent violates the ceasefire,” he says adding that measures are taken to ensure the safety of the blocked highway. “Because the highway is of national importance, it cannot be completely closed, hence it has to be turned safer, although there is a possibility that the old bypassing roads would get repaired.”
There are two alternatives to Ijevan-Berd highway – Chambarak-Berd and Ijevan-Gandzasar-Berd mountain roads – both in near-unusable condition, with no state budget money for their repair either in the past or at present.
“The alternative roads are rather long – more than 40 km, and at the moment their reconstruction and asphalting is impossible, it would take huge money. At least, it is not in the budget plan for 2014. Information panels and road signs will be added to help people orient better and not lose their way in the mountains,” Henrik Kochinyan, head of the “Armenian Roads Directorate” NCSO at the ministry of transport and communications, told ArmeniaNow.
Despite the fact that these roads are of strategic importance, Kochinyan says, when investing in a road its economic value is considered, rather than strategic.
“Not many cars travel along those roads, if we take a look only at the economic factor, construction of that road is not justified, meaning we have to possess so much money that can afford putting aside the economic factor and spend money for purely strategic purposes. Unfortunately, the state budget now has a limited capacity,” he says, promising that during winter precipitation what’s necessary would be done to keep the mountain passes open.
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