A Deadline from the President of Artsakh: We Must Leave Berdzor in 1 Month, Says Mayor

The President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, met with the mayor of Berdzor, Narek Aleksanyan, 2-3 days ago and informed him that the residents must leave the city within a month. This was stated by Berdzor's mayor, Narek Aleksanyan, in an interview with 24News.

According to information disseminated on August 2 by the official website of the President of Artsakh, the issue of a corridor linking the Republic of Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia was also discussed during the expanded session of the Security Council. “The Azerbaijani side has made a demand through the peacekeeping forces stationed in Artsakh for traffic to be organized via a new route in the near future,” the message added.

The new road, according to the trilateral statement of November 2020, is supposed to bypass the city of Shushi.

On July 30, in response to MP Metakse Hakobyan of the “Justice” parliamentary group regarding an alternative route connecting Armenia to Artsakh, President Arayik Harutyunyan stated that the government had chosen the best option among those proposed.

“We are obliged to leave the town of Berdzor, and we have tasks concerning the community of Aghavno, negotiations in that direction are ongoing,” Harutyunyan noted.

Mayor Narek Aleksanyan told 24News that the residents had been informed of the necessity to leave the town within a month. “The information we received has been conveyed to the residents. The population is already thinking about what to do; they are making decisions. Some are against leaving the town, while others think, ‘what will change if I am against it or not?’ In any case, everyone is aware of the situation, and all of this has been presented to them,” said the mayor of Berdzor.

As for where the residents will live after leaving Berdzor, Narek Aleksanyan said, “Wherever the residents want, because there is no compulsion about where to live.”

According to the mayor, there are various proposals regarding new residences. “The proposals are not only for those currently living in Berdzor but also for those who lived there until December 1. It is not that their issues are resolved while those currently residing in Berdzor's are not. It is taken into account that about 90% of both former and current residents of Berdzor have come from different regions of Armenia,” Aleksanyan concluded.

24News also attempted to obtain a comment from the President of Artsakh’s office; however, the president's press secretary, Lusine Avanesyan, did not respond to calls.