Construction of Three Thousand Apartments and Houses Has Begun: President of Artsakh

The President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, considers the demographic issue one of the challenges facing Artsakh and Armenia. According to a correspondent from Armenpress, during the closing ceremony of the forum aimed at addressing demographic issues in Artsakh, organized by the 'Future Armenian' initiative in Stepanakert, Harutyunyan noted that the demographic problem has both subjective and objective causes.

He stated, “Our mission today is not only to live in this part of our homeland but to create all the preconditions that allow our compatriots who currently reside outside the homeland – outside the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh – to have that opportunity. Our issue is not solely with the Republic of Artsakh; the same demographic challenge exists in the Republic of Armenia, and unfortunately, sufficient demographic indicators have not been achieved during the years of independence.”

Harutyunyan emphasized the need to create conditions for compatriots that would promote population growth. “You are aware that large-scale housing construction is currently underway, and we must not repeat the mistake we made in the 1990s, when we missed the opportunity for tens of thousands of Martakert and Shushi residents to live in the Republic of Artsakh. We should not repeat this, and it is essential to not only provide opportunities for forcibly displaced compatriots to return to living in Artsakh but also to create conditions for those who want to live in Artsakh,” he remarked.

“Already about 600 families have been provided with housing. Work is underway to restore the old housing stock in villages, which we are directing not only toward the displaced but also towards families with many children who have housing issues. The construction of three thousand apartments and houses has begun, and our overall program aims to construct 7,000 new homes. We must complete this. The ideology that if we want to have demographic growth in Artsakh, housing construction must be at the forefront of all these issues. Our motto, ‘Each Artsakh family must have a separate home,’ must be brought to life,” concluded Arayik Harutyunyan.