Socio-political movement Miasin calls for holding American company Google Maps accountable
ArmInfo.. With this statement, the Alternative Socio-Political Movement Miasin (Together), based on the public prescription of the official US policy supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia, addressed the US Ambassador to Armenia, Christina Kvien.
In its statement, the movement emphasizes that the maps published by Google Maps, in compliance with Azerbaijan's occupation demands, indicate the so-called Azerbaijani enclaves on the territory of Armenia. This confirms Azerbaijan's violent policy of and violates the inviolability of sovereign territories. "We declare that Google Maps shows two Azerbaijani enclaves (Verin Voskepar and Azatamut) in the north-east of Armenia, as well as the Tigranashen (Karki) enclave in the Ararat region. However, the commission for the adjustment and demarcation of the state border, established in 1984-1987 by the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs, has recorded that Azerbaijan does not have enclaves within the territory of Armenia. There have been no trilaterally ratified decisions on the recognition of the mentioned enclaves- exclaves as Azerbaijani," the statement says.
The Miasin movement also recalls that Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as outlined in the Almaty Declaration. This declaration upholds the borders established during the Soviet era, which means that enclaves and exclaves should not exist. These are merely territorial claims made by the current criminal group ruling in Azerbaijan. "In his message on the occasion of Armenia's Independence Day on September 21, 2024, the US Secretary of State emphasized that the United States remains committed to the democratic aspirations of the Armenian people in matters of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Therefore, the actions by Google Maps are in direct opposition to this policy, international law and democratic values. We anticipate the involvement of the US Embassy in resolving this issue. If necessary, we are ready to provide all relevant documents on the delimitation and demarcation of the border from the Soviet era, complete with signatures from responsible persons," the movement's statement says.
In addition, the movement expressed support for the initiative of six members of the US Congress, who called on the US government to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its crimes, including illegal detentions and occupation of Armenia's sovereign territories. Lawmakers called on the State Department to demand the release of all hostages, political prisoners and prisoners of war, including ethnic Armenians, to create a favorable diplomatic atmosphere ahead of COP 29. "We hope that the US Embassy will use its influence to demonstrate solidarity in every step of implementing this initiative," the Miasin socio-political movement concluded.
It should be noted that today, October 11, the Miasin movement held a roundtable at the central office of the Democratic Party of Armenia, dedicated to the problem of distortion of Google Maps cartographic data and the recognition of Armenian territories as Azerbaijani. During the roundtable, the speaker, former Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan, presented the trilateral protocol on the demarcation of the border between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Soviet Republics, signed in 1987. He emphasized that the presented document is proof of the absence of Azerbaijani enclaves on the territory of Armenia. "Miasin" also drew attention to the contradictory position of the current Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who denies the facts recorded in historical documents and, according to the movement, thereby surrenders part of Armenia's sovereign territories. During the event, the participants also presented the text of the demand sent to the US Embassy in Armenia. In it, "Miasin" demands that the embassy respond to the falsification of Google Maps cartographic data and take measures to restore the true border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.