Artsakh Residents Protest Near UN Office: Demands of the Protesters

Residents displaced from Artsakh are staging a protest outside the UN office. “Our primary demand is to obtain refugee status. The infamous statement of November 9 mentions the return of refugees. The President of Azerbaijan declares that all those who lived in Shushi before 1988 will have the right to return as refugees. Now, the question arises: if we do not obtain this status, it is very likely that we will not be able to return,” said Ashot Harutyunyan, director of the Shushi History Museum, in an interview with reporters.

He noted that they are raising these issues with the UN. “This international organization should not exhibit double standards; in situations of conflict elsewhere, they intervene immediately, but in this case, they say that we are an unrecognized country and do not intervene in our issues. Regardless of being recognized or not, the residents of Artsakh have rights, and the UN should address these issues. Certainly, the question of recognizing the Republic of Artsakh should ultimately be raised on UN platforms,” he added.

Artsakh residents are demanding a meeting with the UN office. Another resident, Arthur Stepanyan, added that they have been living in Armenia with an uncertain status for two years. According to him, obtaining refugee status would allow them to return to their homes, including to Hadrut and Shushi.