Residents of Artsakh's Aghavno village in Berdzor (Lachin) have been told to evacuate by August 25

Since it was announced last week that the residents of the Aghavno and the adjacent Nerkin Sus villages in Artsakh’s Berdzor (Lachin) region have until August 25 to leave their homes, Artsakh authorities have begun the process of compiling list of residents in the area to determine whether they will relocate to other areas in Artsakh or move to Armenia.

Artsakh Territorial Administration Minister Hayk Khanumyan told Armenpress on Tuesday that some 100 families live in the area in question.

“In the coming days, the mayors will submit the lists and subsequently the issue of providing apartments to those families who are moving within Artsakh will be solved,” Khanumyan said.

“Families who want to move to Armenia will receive certificates for buying apartment, and before that they will receive compensation for rent. According to preliminary reports, around 25 to 30 percent of the affected population has expressed willingness to move [elsewhere] in Artsakh,” added Khanumyan.

The Artsakh minister said that logistics of moving the residents are being coordinated with various international organization with the assistance of the Artsakh government.

“We are now negotiating with our partners in order to receive assistance in the organizing issue. Technical details are being discussed,” Khanumyan told Armenpress, adding that there are no problems pertaining to the evacuation. He said they can manage to organize the evacuation by August 25.

He told Armenpress that Artsakh’s Culture Ministry is currently working to move important cultural and historical artifacts from the area.

Residents of Berdzor on Monday had observed Artsakh National Security Secretary Viraly Balassanyan touring the area, accompanied by Azerbaijani officials and members of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

Berdzor residents told Aravot.am that Balassanyan was pointing to houses and other residences in the areas that are to be handed over to Azerbaijan after August 25.

Satig Asatryan, a Berdzor resident, told Aravot.am that residents were gathered at the village center when they observed Balasanyan, accompanied by what she called “Azerbaijani generals” approach the area.

According to Asatryan, Balasanyan was attempting to assure the Azerbaijani contingent that residences were not damaged or set on fire, as was the case when other areas that went under Azerbaijani control were.

According to Asatryan, a woman approached Balassanyan and admonished him, reportedly telling him that “it’s not enough that you have sold our lands and now you are ordering us to not damage any properties? What have you sold us along with Lachin?” Asatryan told Aravot.am that Balassanyan was taken aback and immediately drove off.

Aravot.am attempted to corroborate the story with Balassanyan’s office, however, the publication has not received a response.

The rumored government order to resident to not damage property was also brought up by Armenpress when speaking to Khanumyan, the Artsakh minister.

He cited examples from the harried days of the post November 9, 2020 agreement, when residents of some villages set their homes on fire only to find that the village was not going to be under Azerbaijani control. Khanumyan explained that in those instances, the government was forced to allocate funds to rebuild the damaged property.

Khanumyan also cited the example of the Aghanus village, which was surrendered to Azerbaijan a year and a half ago. He announced that the village will be taken out of Azerbaijani control and returned to Armenians, adding, however, that structures there have been burnt by the residents who were forced to evacuate. He explained that if the houses were left intact in Aghanus, residents could easily move back there, instead “there are only burnt structures and ruins.”

Khanumyan explained that Aghavno is located near the rerouted road connecting Artsakh to Armenia that is supposed to form a new corridor.

“If everything were to proceed in our favor, I wouldn’t want to see burnt ruins upon returning to Aghavno. Therefore, I am strongly against burning anything, looting or destroying,” Khanumyan told Armenpress.

The minister provided specifics of the new road, explaining that it will begin the Tasy Verst village and pass through Mets Shen, Hin Shen and Kashatagh region’s Aghanus village to reach the border with Armenia.

“The 11-kilometer section of the road to Kornidzor is not built yet. Until then, we will temporarily pass through a four-kilometer track section which is connected to the current highway, right above Aghavno,” Khanumyan said, adding that the alternative road will function as a corridor.

According to him, the road from the border of Armenia to Kornidzor is planned to be built in around 250 days.

He explained that the Russian peacekeeping contingent will be deployed along the five-kilometer stretch of the new road to ensure safe passage of vehicles.

Speaking about new infrastructures, namely the construction of communication and power lines supplying Artsakh along the alternative road, Khanumyan said the projects are already underway and will soon be completed.