I Stopped the Car and Managed to Reach Stepanakert Through the Mountains: Former Minister

The newspaper "Hrabar" reports: Former Minister of Health of Artsakh, Mikael Hayriyan, who left his office after Ruben Vardanyan was appointed Prime Minister, had been in Yerevan until the end of last year. After the road was blocked, Hayriyan remained in Yerevan and was unable to return to his homeland, Artsakh. However, on December 31, he miraculously managed to reach Stepanakert and celebrate the New Year in Artsakh with his daughters.

In a conversation with us, he did not hide that he had successfully reached Artsakh, but with great difficulty. "I managed to do it. I stopped the car and, through the mountains and valleys, somehow reached Stepanakert. I left on December 31 and crossed that stretch in 15 hours," said the former minister, adding that he spent the New Year in Artsakh, while his son and mother remained in Yerevan.

"My daughters are here, I feel your pain, besides that, every decision of mine, in any case, is related to Artsakh," he explained his determination to return to Artsakh at all costs.

We noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has again expressed hope that the road will open soon, and we asked whether they share such hope. "There is always hope that the road will open, and we are patiently waiting, but what we are waiting for, we do not know, because we are barely managing to carry out our daily tasks, from heating to ordinary food," said Hayriyan.

When asked what the Russian peacekeepers are saying about when the road will open and whether there are any conditions that need to be met on our side, our interlocutor stated that the authorities are communicating with them, and they need to say what they are saying. "It is true that doctors go and so on, but everyone expresses an opinion, and no official information is given to us, it is natural, and in fact, I do not even want to express those opinions, because they are purely thoughts, subjective opinions of people," he said.

Regarding what the biggest problem is in Artsakh at the moment—heating, medication, or food—Hayriyan said that all are interconnected. As for how frequently food enters Artsakh or whether it enters at all, and what has come:

"They say it is entering, based on the statements of the Prime Minister, I understand that something, I don’t know in which places, is entering. In reality, there is a minimal amount, but it is very difficult. As I understand it, they are already taking from our reserve food supplies; people have already been issued coupons, and they are using those coupons," he said.

We also asked whether the products bought with coupons are sold at the same price in all shops. Hayriyan replied that he does not go to shops, but he is confident that the price is the same.

As for medical facilities, the former Minister of Health said that they are managing somehow; minimalism dominates this sector as well. In cases of extreme necessity, with the support of the Red Cross, seriously ill patients are sent to Goris, from where they are transferred to Yerevan.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.