Berdzor residents prepare to leave their houses

The Caucasian Knot

Aug 19 2022

More than 150 believers have attended the last service at the Berdzor Church. Local residents fear unemployment in the cities they will move to, and hope that authorities' support the will allow them to solve their housing problems.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the administration of the Kashatag District of Nagorno-Karabakh reported that residents of Berdzor (the Azerbaijani name is Lachin) and the village of Akhavno (Zabukh) must leave their houses by August 20. They have to pack their belongings in haste; and the money allocated by authorities for relocation is not enough, local residents have complained.

Akhavno villagers have demanded that the village be included in the zone of the new transport corridor, which runs 1200 meters off the village. They confirmed that they were not allowed to burn down or damage their houses before quitting under the threat of non-payment of compensations. Despite this, a resident of the village of Akhavno has burned down his house and posted the video in social networks.

Vaagn Asatryan, a resident of Berdzor, has moved his wife and three children to Yerevan. According to his story, he pays 130,000 drams per month (USD 320) for renting an apartment. He hopes that when the financial assistance begins to be paid, the family will feel a little better.

Asatryan is positive about the fact that people burn their houses down, but he did not do it himself, because "he has nothing to hope for except for the certificate for the purchase of housing."

Armine Saginyan from Armenia has expressed her dissatisfaction with the authorities. "After the 2020 war, nothing was done to make people live without shocks – for two years we have been surrendering territories; our militaries perish; more and more refugees appear," she has stated.

Let us remind you that on August 25, the Berdzor Corridor passes under Azerbaijan's control.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 19, 2022 at 03:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
Realtors assess chances of forced migrants from Berdzor to acquire housing in Armenia, Berdzor population reduces to 70 before resettlement from Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan insists on removal of Armenian population from Lachin and two villages.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS