PanArmenian News
Jan 13 2005

ARMENIANS EXPATRIATED FROM NORTH ARTSAKH SETTLE IN KARVACHAR

13.01.2005 16:07

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The territory of Karvachar (Kelbajar) is being
spontaneously settled by Armenians, expatriated from their residence
places in North Artsakh. Unfortunately, official Yerevan and
Stepanakert statements that there is no state policy on settling the
security belt territories are true,” Azg newspaper writes in its
today’s issue. Meanwhile, the article author notes that Azerbaijan
pursues an official policy of peopling of former Armenian settlements
in the territories of NKR that are occupied. Forced migrants from
Getashen, Shahumian and other places mainly live in Karvachar. In May
1991, the newspaper reminds, the soviet army and OMON (special
destination militia detachment) held an operation to deport the
residents of Armenian villages of North Artsakh. “Our houses stayed
on the other side of the Mrav Mounts,” the present residents of
Karvachar say. Getashen resident Yeghish Markosian has walked all
over the territory of the former Kelbajar region. He shows the
newspaper journalist innumerable khachkars (stone steles picturing
crosses), churches, monasteries. “Where from the Turks have
khachkars, churches, monasteries?” he asks. “Already 150 years ago it
was a land inhabited by Armenians.” When in 1992 Armenian forces
entered Kelbajar, in the regional museum of the city they found a
khachkar of the 10-th century with an inscription in Armenian, which
was presented to the visitors as a monument of the Azeri culture.
Dadivank famous monastery, where according to the tradition the
relics of St. Apostle Thaddeus, the Enlightener of Armenia, are kept,
is also situated in the Kelbajar territory. The name Kelbajar itself
is the distorted Armenian place-name of Karvachar. “This land was
Armenian and it remains Armenian,” the former Getashen resident
concludes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress