Two More Villages Evacuated from Askeran Region to Hand Over to Azerbaijan

According to the Deputy Head of the Askeran Administration, the number of homeless people is twice the available free housing in the region. Six villages in the Askeran region of Artsakh have already come under the control of the enemy, and two more will also be handed over.

In an interview with Sputnik Armenia, the Deputy Head of the Askeran Administration, Armen Mangasaryan, stated that a total of 2,733 people lived in these eight villages, all of whom are now homeless. “During the war, the enemy captured six villages in Askeran: Aghdarak, Aknaghbyur, Madatashen, Skhankakh, Jraghatz and Moshkhmhat. Among these villages, 2,233 people from 525 families are now homeless; they are currently in the Republic of Armenia. Residents of two more villages are currently being evacuated. We are talking about the villages of Armenakavan and Ukhtasar, where there are 150 and 350 residents, respectively. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether these villages would come under enemy control. It was only two days ago that it became clear that, according to the trilateral statement, they too would be handed over to Azerbaijan,” said Mangasaryan.

Now, the residents of Armenakavan and Ukhtasar are urgently evacuating their belongings, but not everyone has been moved yet due to transportation issues. According to Mangasaryan, several vehicles supported by the state are making trips in and out of the villages daily, but there are still items and people that need to be relocated.

“Residents of Armenakavan and Ukhtasar are very distressed. They are leaving behind everything they have built over the past 30 years to the enemy,” the official recounted. Initially, it was planned to settle the residents of the eight lost villages in other communities of the Askeran region, but problems have arisen with the housing stock. According to Mangasaryan, the number of homeless individuals is twice as many as the available free housing in the region.

“It appears we may need to move people to Stepanakert as well, but there are residents from Shushi and Hadrut who also need to be accommodated there. In short, it is a terrible situation. Therefore, I would like to appeal to the people of Artsakh: if you have lost your home, do not return to Artsakh yet. We are planning to adapt the buildings of schools and kindergartens in Askeran for residential use. But this will take time. There are no beds, no kitchen amenities. People are coming from Armenia, and we are faced with this reality,” Mangasaryan stated.

He added that he speaks by phone with the Askeran residents currently in Armenia for 20-22 hours a day, yet many are still asking to return to Artsakh and for housing arrangements to be made. “A few days ago, five children came to my office asking, ‘Well, can you settle us?’ If people have a home here, especially if they are from Askeran, let them return, for the love of God, the doors are open, let them come, so we can return to our daily lives. But the hasty return of those who have lost their homes is a mistake. I’m not saying this to cause panic; all issues are solvable, but step by step,” emphasized Mangasaryan.

The Artsakh Information Headquarters also reports that individuals who have lost their homes in Artsakh must remain in constant contact with the relevant territorial and local self-governing bodies, either by visiting or calling the operational headquarters of the Artsakh government in Armenia (address: 23/1 Garegin Nzhdeh St., Yerevan, Armenia; contact numbers: +374010590339, +374010440065).

It should be noted that according to the trilateral statement regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, the territories that were captured by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the war, as well as the regions of Aghdam, Lachin, and Kelbajar, are being handed over to Azerbaijan. Since these areas correspond to the administrative divisions of Soviet Azerbaijan and largely do not match the territories of the Artsakh Republic, the fate of some communities has only become clear in recent days.