At an extraordinary session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense and Security, Sasun Mikayelyan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction, stated that he opposed the opposition's initiative to invite relevant bodies to the committee and demand explanations regarding the infiltration of an Azerbaijani serviceman into the Shaki settlement.
"Have we come to benefit the matter or to politicize it? The guys say that when the Meghri incidents occurred, what conclusions were drawn? Was our committee consistent? Did they clarify anything? I am against this initiative, I am against summoning the relevant bodies and asking questions before the preliminary investigation. They will come and say it is still in the preliminary investigation stage. Our task is to be consistent so that such things do not recur," he said.
Earlier, 4 opposition MPs demanded that the committee invite the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Director of the National Security Service, and demand clarification on which regulations under the laws "On Defense," "On the State Border," "On the NSS," and related laws and legal acts adopted on their basis were violated, leading to the appearance of an Azerbaijani serviceman in Shaki, and what accounted for his not being detected in time.
Addressing concerns that people in Shaki are terrified after the incident, Mikayelyan said: "As for what they say about panic… A single beaten Azerbaijani entered our village, and we are making a show from this high podium. They will think this runt went and all of Armenia is trembling with fear."
This discussion shows that the disagreements surrounding the Shaki incident have moved beyond a purely legal dimension. The opposition is trying to activate accountability mechanisms, while the ruling side is cautious that public questions during the preliminary investigation could hinder the normal course of the case. Both approaches have their own logic, but the main question remains unanswered: how could an Azerbaijani serviceman infiltrate the border zone unimpeded and not be detected in time? Until this question is answered, the concerns of Shaki residents will not be put to rest, regardless of how much of a "show" it is deemed from the high podium.
