NGOs FOR REFUGEES

Lragir.am
30 June 06

The NGOs protecting the interests of Armenian refugees from Soviet
Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan made a statement June 30 on joining in an
effort to protect the rights of the Armenian refugees and recovering
moral and material losses. The authors of the statement signed an
agreement on establishing acivil society network `Refugees and the
International Law’.

The organizations inside the network report that the international
community ignores the rights of 500 thousand Armenian refugees from
Soviet Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan. There is no adequate assistance
from the Armenian government either.

Considering that the talks for Karabakh are considering the return of
some regions controlled by the NKR Defense Army and resettlement of
Azerbaijanis in this region, the NGOs invite the Armenian and the
international community to include the question of refugees from
Soviet Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan in the talks. Moreover, considering
the fact that Armenians comprised about 8 percent of the population of
Soviet Azerbaijan (excluding the Armenians ofNKR), the founders of the
new civil network think 8 percent of the territory of the Azerbaijani
Republic should be given to them as compensation for their
homes. Hence, the members of the network are against returning the
territories.

Adding that since 1988 400 thousand Armenian refugees from Soviet
Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan have been sheltered in Armenia and NKR, in
the parliamentary election 2007 they are going to support the parties,
which will uphold the interests of refugees from Soviet Azerbaijan and
Nakhidjevan.