Azernews.Az

An Armenian soldier who voluntarily crossed over to Azerbaijan has said he was renouncing his Armenian citizenship.
Paruyr Stepanian, 19-years-old, who was born in Yerevan, said he had fled to Azerbaijan due to the arbitrariness in the Armenian army.
Further, Stepanian told the Baku-based ANS TV channel, he would not have joined the Armenian military if given a choice.
"There is extreme discrimination in this military, which lacks discipline. Officers insult private soldiers every step of the way, mock and beat them to death. They were beating us so hard that, at times, I couldn`t hold myself back. There were situations in which I could have grabbed my sub-machine gun and shot them dead."
Stepanian admitted that once, after sustaining a beating, he had taken the risk and crossed over to the Azerbaijani side. "One day I was beaten nearly to death, and I decided to go there. The place I was serving in was very close to the Azerbaijani border. Risking my life, I went ahead and crossed it and turned myself in to the Azerbaijani authorities."
As for other reasons for turning for help to a country with which his nation is in a state of war, the serviceman cited violations of human rights and the rule of an undemocratic regime in Armenia.
"I don`t want to live in a country which does not grant its citizens the right of choice. When I was undergoing military service, I had no choice either. While I was on duty, a vote was cast using my name in favor of Serzh Sarkisian [Armenian president]. Dictatorship rules there. That`s why I have appealed to the Azerbaijani government, saying I don`t want to be an Armenian citizen."
Stepanian further requested that the government of Azerbaijan grant him refugee status in the country or arrange this with a third party, such as a European Union state, with the exception of Russia, since "Russia maintains relations with Armenia, so I don`t want to go there."
Stepanian said social conditions in Armenia are harsh and most families in the country are currently able to support themselves only due to the money they receive from their family members abroad.
Further, Stepanian said he had studied the history of the Armenian-occupied Upper Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, which had sparked a war between the two South Caucasus republics, as well as other relevant international conventions.
"I have also studied why the war had erupted and found the right answer for myself. I am aware that there are Codes indicating that the borders of countries must stay the way they are. This is proven by the 1976 Helsinki document and the monument dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Armenians` presence in Garabagh. If they had lived there prior to Azerbaijanis, why did they erect such a monument? There is only one logical answer to this question: Garabagh is Azerbaijan`s territory."
In Armenia, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said Yerevan was doing everything in its power to achieve Stepanian`s release from Azerbaijani captivity.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. The OSCE-brokered peace talks have not yet achieved meaningful results.