REFUGEES MUST REGAIN THEIR LOSSES

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
09 Feb 05

The NKR department for migration, refugees and re-settlement carries
out a record of the refugees in the republic. According to the head
of the department Serge Amirkhanian, the aim of these measures is to
grant a status to the refugees and improve their social conditions,
for later to retrieve their lost property or compensate for the
losses. â~@~In recognized countries all the refugees have the
right for the corresponding status and certificate. The latter
is a document equal to the passport. The fact that Karabakh is
not recognized does not allow our refugees to receive assistance
from international organizations,â~@~] said Amirkhanian. By the
decision of the government, the registered refugees will be granted
privileges: flat, financial aid, transport fare, free transporting of
luggage. Serge Amirkhanian said, another aim of the record is to apply
to the international organizations for receiving compensation for the
property lost when the refugees were displaced. At the department we
were told that in 2005 it is planned to build flats in Stepanakert for
the refugees living in dormitories, in bad housing conditions. ***
The fact-finding group of the OSCE Minsk Group has been in Karabakh
since January 10 to check the question of mass re-settlement,
development of drug business and terrorism in Nagorni Karabakh raised
by Azerbaijan. The head of the NKR department for migration, refugees
and re-settlement Serge Amirkhanian said the Minsk Group co-chairmen
had wished to meet with the refugees of Karabakh as well. The meeting
took place on February 6. They were people displaced from different
places in Azerbaijan, living in hard social conditions, and hoping to
get the assistance of international organizations to compensate for
their losses in some way or another. *** Serge Amirkhanian abstained
from answering our question on the impressions and OSCE monitoring
mission and the results of the monitoring saying that it was still
early to discuss the results. But he said that they nevertheless had
the possibility to get convinced personally in the falseness of the
questions raised by Azerbaijan. â~@~I think, the fact-finding group
witnessed that what Azerbaijan says is not true. We do not deny that
there are refugees living in these territories who had been displaced
from their homes. The government may provide some social assistance to
these people but this does not yet mean mass re-settlement. In this
sense, I think, the situation will get a positive assessment,â~@~]
he said.

SRBUHI VANIAN. 09-02-2005

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