Nearly 100,000 People Have Returned to Artsakh, Says Mane Tandilyan

According to the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Housing of Artsakh, nearly 100,000 people have returned to Artsakh, while around 40,000 residents continue to reside in the Republic of Armenia. This was announced by the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Housing, Mane Tandilyan, during the National Assembly session on February 11, in response to a question from the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gagik Bagunts, who stated that during the war, about 90,000 residents had moved to Armenia, of which approximately 53,000 have returned.

Minister Tandilyan noted that the data concerning the 53,000 citizens who returned to Artsakh is based on information published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which is compiled based on the statistics of those returning by bus. "However, the actual number is certainly higher. We have a mechanism for direct financial assistance, based on which there is clear evidence that the number of returning residents is greater. People are receiving support directly from 'Artsakhpost.' The number of beneficiaries of direct financial support in the Republic is twice as much as what has already been mentioned. This does not include working men aged 18-58. Some returnees have come by their own vehicles, and their data is not reflected in those numbers. Currently, most of the residents in the Republic of Armenia are displaced persons from areas that have come under Azerbaijani control. About 60 percent of the displaced persons have also returned to Artsakh," Tandilyan elaborated.