Residents Anxious as Turks Are So Close, Says Shurnukh Mayor

The situation remains unchanged in the village of Shurnukh in the Syunik region. The enemy has not taken any aggressive actions from the territory controlled by Azerbaijan during this time, said Hakob Arshakyan, the mayor of Shurnukh, in an interview with “Factinfo”.

“Residents are in an anxious state because the Turks are so close. If they look out the window and see a Turk, how can they remain calm?” Arshakyan noted.

According to the mayor, there has not yet been a case of residents leaving the village from the area controlled by the Armenian side, but he is unsure if there are any such intentions.

Residents also have concerns about grazing their livestock: “When the weather improves, the livestock will go out to graze, which is dangerous. No matter what, they might go to drink water from the river, which is already under Azerbaijani control. Our boys are currently working on an electric fence to prevent the animals from crossing to the other side,” the mayor stated.

When asked where residents of the houses now under Azerbaijani control are living and how their housing issues will be resolved, Hakob Arshakyan mentioned that they are mostly housed in free houses in the upper part of the village, two families are in Goris, and one family in Kapan. “The government needs to build houses in the upper part of the village. The damage caused to these people has not yet been assessed, but they have said that compensation will be provided. So far, there is nothing,” the mayor pointed out, adding that the community administration is supporting these families with food as well as all other residents of the village.

“I hope we will return our houses because it is not acceptable to be guided only by Google’s GPS. Both the government and the National Assembly must do everything possible. We are preparing our documents to reclaim our houses,” added Hakob Arshakyan.