Tigranashen: The Strategic Enclave Pashinyan Plans to Give Away
Tigranashen, also known as Kyarki, is not part of Armenia's 29,743 square kilometers, according to Pashinyan himself. The writing is on the wall. He wants to give it away.
Tigranashen (also called Kyarki) sits on one of Armenia’s main transportation arteries connecting the north and south of the country. Its strategic significance became apparent in 1988-1989 when Azerbaijanis living there blocked the road, effectively cutting Armenia in half and separating Syunik from the rest of the country. Armenians had to fight fierce battles to regain control and restore the critical north-south connection. This was not handed over; it was won through military action and maintained as essential infrastructure.
Pashinyan has now declared that Tigranashen lies outside Armenia’s recognized 29,743-square-kilometer territory, making his intention to surrender it explicit. When pressed on alternatives, his government suggests offering Artsvashen, an Armenian enclave deep inside Azerbaijan, as compensation. However, Martirosyan points out that even if Armenia could regain and populate Artsvashen, its strategic value pales compared to Tigranashen, which controls a main transportation route. The calculation is lopsided and disadvantageous.
Moreover, Pashinyan has added a new demand: if Armenia does not give Tigranashen, it must accept Azerbaijan’s occupation of Jermuk, sovereign Armenian territory. This transforms the negotiation into Eastern Bazaar logic. Azerbaijan holds all leverage because Pashinyan has already conceded everything. Each demand yields another bargaining chip for Baku. By pinning Armenia’s entire development strategy on Turkish and Azerbaijani goodwill, he ensures they can extract endless concessions. Martirosyan’s blunt assessment: if you cannot solve the problem, get out of the kitchen. Pashinyan’s response-we cannot do anything-is not a negotiating position but an admission of failure that should trigger resignation, not another five-year term.
Transcript
Hovik Manucharyan: Speaking to the fact about the enclaves, or the so-called enclaves in Tigranashen, Pashinyan's agenda essentially of delimitation and demarcation apparently includes recognizing that Tigranashen, which is the Armenian name, And it's a key town that sits on one of the main transportation arteries of Armenia, is not Armenian after all. Pashinyan said so himself, saying that Armenia's border, I mean, just so that there is no confusion, because people, various people tried to think of clever ways of ambiguating this, but Pashinyan himself said that Armenia's borders comprise 29,743 square kilometers and Tigranashen, or what Pashinyan and the Turks, called Kyarki, is not part of that. I mean, the writing is on the wall. He wants to give it away, but can you tell us, I mean, when you ask them, they say, oh, we'll construct a detour, we'll manage it. History of Tigranashen. Is it really Azerbaijani? And what is the significance of Tigranashen for Armenia strategically, for those who don't know?
Arthur Martirosyan: Well, essentially, you said that. I mean, and I remember that in 1988, when the movement began, and then in 1989 in particular,