SHAHUMYAN AND GETASHEN ARE QUICKLY BECOMING AZERI LANDS

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[02:15 pm] 13 June, 2006

“The issue of Northern Artsakh must be involved in the procedure of
the Minsk group negotiations and solved,” Edik Balayan, chairman of
“Shahumyan-Getashen” Patriotic Union aroused this question in the club
“Pastark.”

Today is a tragic day for all the residents of Shahumyan and Getashen
regions as the Azeribaijanis forcibly displaced 21 000 residents
from their dwelling places 15 years ago. According to Edik Balayan,
18 Armenian villages of the Northern Artsakh were confiscated and are
still occupied by the Azeri armed forces. “The residents of Shahumyan
and Getashen migrated to Armenia, USA and Russia and settled there
with the hope that one day their homeland will be liberated and they
will have a chance to return,” claims Edik Balayan.

In his words though 15 years have passed since then, the overwhelming
majority of the displaced people is in terrible social state; they
live in temporary shelters and are unemployed. Besides, the issue of
the missing people, hostages and war prisoners is almost neglected.

Edik Balayan urges that the Armenian lands are quickly repopulated
and the Azeri side has provided special conditions on this score; the
new dwellers are given houses, 300 USD, 25 000 manats, animals, etc.

The chairman of the Patriotic Union also underlines the fact that
the Azeri side destroys Armenian monuments, graveyards and attempts
to eliminate all the bases of the ethnic origin.