No Evacuation from Berdzor, Aghavno, and Sus; We Hand Over 26 Settlements to Azerbaijan

The head of the Kashatagh district administration in Artsakh, Mushegh Alaverdyan, stated in an interview with 24News that there will be no evacuation of residents from Berdzor, Aghavno, and Sus communities.

“Right now, I am driving through Berdzor, everything is normal,” said Alaverdyan. He noted that according to agreements, the Azerbaijani side will enter the Lachin (Kashatagh) area after 12:00 PM.

According to Alaverdyan, there may be panic among residents and individuals, but nonetheless, the civilian population currently does not have issues with living or functioning. “We have handed over the entire northern side to the Azerbaijanis—26 settlements; there are 3 settlements left with us. It is difficult to say that people are living a normal life here, but in any case, they are living, everything is normal,” highlighted the head of the Kashatagh district administration.

Regarding the safety of the Lachin corridor, which will be operational from December 1 (5 km wide), Alaverdyan assured that security is being ensured by the Russian peacekeeping forces. It should be noted that according to the statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia on the evening of November 9, hostilities in Artsakh have ceased. According to that document, the Armenian side will hand over the Kelbajar, Aghdam, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan by December 1.

The Russian peacekeeping contingent, including 1,960 armed servicemen, 90 armored vehicles, and 380 units of automotive and special equipment, will be deployed along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor. The Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will ensure the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, bypassing the city of Shushi, remains under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.