February 27, 2009 - 15:15 AMT
Armenian refugees demand their future be discussed in Karabakh talks
The Armenian refugees from Azerbaina are the real victims of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"Today, on the eve of the 21st anniversary of Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, the Armenian refugees demand that their future be discussed in Karabakh talks," said Eleonora Asatryan, coordinator of Refugees and International Law organizations network.

"Some 500 thousand refugees, who are scattered throughout the globe, have the right to moral, financial and territorial compensation," she said.

"We have requested the NKR authorities for partial compensation and permission to settle in the liberated territories. We have received no response yet, but we know that official Stepanakert never minded the idea," Mrs. Asatryan said.

The Armenian pogroms in Sumgait on February 26-29, 1988 were the first outburst of ethnic violence in the modern soviet history.

Violence, robberies and killings resulted in flows of Armenians to Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia.

Armenians were evicted from their houses while Azeris in Armenia were given a possibility to sell or exchange their immovable property.