Armenian villagers ask for help because of fires near border with Azerbaijan

In the Gegarkunik Region, cattle breeders faced the problem of feed for livestock because of fires: hay prices doubled, residents of border villages complain.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that according to Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, Azerbaijani soldiers deliberately set fire to pastures near the villages of Sotk and Kut at the border with the Kelbadjar District. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan has denied the information about setting fire on pastures.

The fires in rural pastures and hayfields have been extinguished, and there are no threats to the village from the fires, but the cattle breeding has suffered significant damage, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent has been informed by Sima Chitchyan, the head of the Kut community.

“Our pastures were under the control of the Azerbaijani soldiers. We had a hope that after haymaking we will be able to graze livestock in those fields, but even there everything is destroyed by the fire. There are very few fields left where we can graze livestock,” Sima Chitchyan said.

The villagers submitted the data on the damage to the regional administration, but there has been no reaction from the authorities so far, the head of the village adds.

Sevak Khachatryan, a resident of the village of Sotk, has also said that the cattle breeding seriously suffered because of the fires. “There are small territories where it will be possible to graze livestock, but in general, that will not solve the problem,” the local resident told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Last year, one bale of hay cost 800-900 drams (1.6-1.8 US dollars), and this year, the price has doubled, from 1600 to 1800 drams (3.2-3.6 US dollars), Sevak Khachatryan said. “Villagers of Martuni, Gavar, and Vardenis used to buy up to 300,000 bales of hay, mainly in Karvachar. And now, due to the fact that the communities have lost their pastures because of them coming under the control of Azerbaijan and because of the fires, there is a problem of fodder for livestock. If we do not solve the problem with cattle breeding, we will face migration from border villages,” the resident of the Sotk village emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 3, 2021 at 04:35 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.