Azerbaijani Forces Just 500-600 Meters Away from Fields: Who Will Cultivate the Land? Says the Village Head of Verin Shorja

The Azerbaijanis are positioned in our pastures along the entire length of the border. The arable lands are directly under their line of fire. This was stated by Artem Yeranosyan, the head of the Verin Shorja village, in an interview with ‘Factinfo’.

“They are only 500-600 meters away from the fields. Whoever cultivates the land there is directly in their crosshairs,” Yeranosyan noted, expressing concern about the significant decrease in livestock numbers. The village head fears that the wheat, barley, and potato fields will remain uncultivated in due time. He says that barely 30 percent of the arable lands will be cultivated as working under the enemy's direct line of fire is not easy.

However, the villagers from Verin Shorja are not considering leaving. “People are sitting at home waiting for spring to see what happens. Who will increase the livestock numbers, who will reduce them, that will be seen later,” Yeranosyan stated.

Indeed, as Artem Yeranosyan points out, the portion of the Verin Shorja pastures and arable lands that faces the border cannot be used. The villagers are forced to temporarily settle for small plots of land and pastures in the other part of the village.

During Nikol Pashinyan's administration, six communities in the Gegharkunik region have become border areas. This was reported by the Gegharkunik regional administration in response to a written inquiry from ‘Factinfo’.

“As a result of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020, the villages of Sotk, Verin Shorja, Nerkhin Shorja, Norabak, Kut, and Azat have become border areas. The communities that have effectively become border areas have been included in the list of border communities by a government decision,” said Sevak Khaghatyan, the chief secretary of the regional administration, noting that residents in border areas have received a 50% reimbursement for the irrigation water fees they have used, as per the relevant government decision.

In addition, residents of the aforementioned six communities have been granted the benefits established by the Armenian government’s decision N 1444-N on December 18, 2014, including reimbursement for 1444 kWh of electricity and 360 cubic meters of gas consumed during the calculation year.

The regional administration's correspondence also revealed that the UAE embassy is reimbursing residents for their electricity consumption. “A charitable program is being implemented for socially vulnerable families in the Gegharkunik region by the United Arab Emirates embassy, which includes partial reimbursement of electricity bills amounting to 14,000 drams, while each child from the same family will be provided about 8,500 drams for purchasing clothing and footwear. A total of 41 families from Sotk, Verin Shorja, Nerkhin Shorja, Norabak, Kut, and Azat are included in this program,” the regional administration reported.

The official correspondence also confirmed that the communities' pastures are now under enemy fire. “There are issues related to animal husbandry and agriculture. Certain areas of hayfields and pastures have come under direct fire from the enemy,” the local government noted.