Most Artsakh Armenians still lack housing, lawmaker says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nearly 98% of displaced Armenians from Artsakh still face unresolved housing problems, Metakse Hakobyan, a member of the Justice faction in the Artsakh parliament, said in a Facebook post after another meeting with displaced residents held on March 14.

Hakobyan said around 80% of Artsakh Armenians currently do not have jobs.

“We are trying to find solutions to people’s problems through every possible and sometimes even impossible means, but it is clear that without state intervention and the right social policy many issues simply cannot be resolved.

At the same time, these meetings reveal another important truth: even under these harsh conditions, the lives of most Artsakh Armenians remain connected to Artsakh.

According to the results of the meetings, 55% see their future only in Artsakh, 44% definitely want to return but currently cannot imagine how, and only 1% have decided to settle in the Republic of Armenia.

P.S. This meeting was the hardest. It is difficult to talk to a young man who lost his father and brother in the wars and was himself disabled in the 2023 war. To meet a father of four minor children who is now confined to a wheelchair as a result of the war.

These people are not ‘statistics.’ These are destinies. These are families. These are broken but still standing people.

And do you know what is most important? They have only one goal — to go home. To the home that was taken from them. The home for which they paid the highest price. The pain they carry every day. And ultimately: Artsakh has not been lost by those who want to return. Artsakh has been lost by those who have already accepted its loss,” Hakobyan wrote.

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack against Artsakh, subjecting the territory to massive artillery shelling. A day later, on September 20, the Artsakh authorities accepted a ceasefire proposal from the command of the Russian peacekeeping mission and agreed to Baku’s conditions, including the disarmament of the Defense Army and the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh.

The attack killed 223 people, including 20 civilians, six of them minors. Starting September 24, the forced displacement of Artsakh Armenians began, with more than 100,000 people fleeing to Armenia. According to some reports, about 20 Armenians remained in Artsakh; 11 later returned to Armenia, one died and one was detained.