Villagers Are Already Packing Their Belongings, But Don’t Know Where They Are Going: Agavno Village Head

It is still unclear where the residents of Agavno will be relocated, but the majority prefer to live in Armenia. In an interview with NEWS.am, Agavno village head Andranik Chavushyan stated that villagers are already gathering their belongings but do not know specifically where they will go.

"Most of them prefer to live in Armenia, while others wish to stay in Artsakh. They want to live in Armenia because people don’t want war; they want to live in peace, in my opinion. The mood among residents is bad; they are anxious and do not want to leave their homes or village," he said, adding that he is planning to settle in Artsakh with his large family.

Regarding the meeting with the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Artsakh, Hayk Khanumyan, the Agavno village head noted that they were indeed told not to burn their houses. "Khanumyan said 'don’t burn it, why are you burning?' but there are people who want to burn their homes out of hatred and cannot come to terms with everything that has happened," he added.

When asked why the residents of Agavno, led by him, are not fighting to stay in the village and preserve their land, Chavushyan mentioned that the state is not supporting them in this matter. "A resident must feel safe; the state must be beside them. Our state has disbanded the army and says that anyone remaining here is a terrorist, and there isn’t a single person in our internal and external politics who can defend an Armenian. On the contrary, calling these casualties meaningless raises issues about becoming a martyr for nothing. In this respect, if we stay here, we will ensure another victory for the Turks; we still have the same mentality, but there is a problem with being a little bit of a foolish martyr," he said.

Andranik Chavushyan stated that they have received letters from Azerbaijanis demanding that they leave the area, or else the adversary will take tough measures. "They have built a road, and the authorities here have done nothing. The authorities came, said we are weak, we cannot do anything against the Turkish army, because it is no coincidence that the Turkish army has been brought here. The people want to fight, but they feel alone and abandoned, and I think we should not grant victory to the enemy. I believe Nikol Pashinyan should be asked why this happened that today we are being displaced," said the Agavno village head, expressing hope that one day they will return to Agavno.

It should be noted that a total of 204 residents will be displaced from Agavno. Recall that the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh, Hayk Khanumyan, has instructed the residents of Agavno and Berdzor that they must leave their homes by August 25.