Insults from Azerbaijan Happen Every Day, and We Respond: Khndzoresk Leader

Since January, 15 families have left the village due to lack of work. This was stated by Seyran Mirzoyan, the head of the Khndzoresk administrative district in the Syunik region, in an interview with Hraparak.

Before the 44-day war, the villagers earned their livelihood through animal husbandry. However, after the withdrawal of Armenian forces, Azerbaijanis emerged just 100-200 meters from the village houses. The village also lost its pastures, which posed a serious problem for the villagers.

“My administrative area has no pastures, and in winter, people can't purchase hay because the price of the milk they sell does not match the cost of the hay. The price per liter of milk is 130 drams, making it unprofitable for residents today,” Mirzoyan said. The media notes that the number of livestock in the village has decreased by 50% since the war. Many villagers are currently trying to sell their cattle, but there are no buyers, with no one willing to pay 300-350 thousand drams for a cow that produces 15-20 liters of milk daily.

Although Khndzoresk is gasified, the social conditions of the villagers do not allow them to access gas, with only a few households able to afford it. The cold winter has become a serious problem for the residents of Khndzoresk, forcing them to cut down trees in their yards and orchards to avoid freezing in winter.

The upcoming winter is expected to be a true disaster for the villagers. “The village has a 100% problem with firewood; people have cut down everything they could. We have no reserves left. Currently, during conversations with residents, they state that they have no chance to stay here,” Mirzoyan remarked.

The agricultural production is minimal, and this year's unfavorable weather has destroyed about half of the grain harvest. The government has provided subsidies to the villagers; if a resident has grown their wheat seed in their field, the state has paid 70 thousand drams per hectare, whereas if they bought the wheat, it is 120 drams per kilogram.

“The village is already emptying out. Last year, there were 155 houses in the village, and currently, there are only about 130. From the families I have been informed about, if the data is accurate, about ten more families will leave the village before winter. People are saying they are leaving,” Seyran Mirzoyan said.

The situation remains unchanged without violations, but provocations from enemy soldiers occur continuously. There are people who have already gotten used to these and continue to live their lives. “Insults directed at us happen every day, and we respond to them. There are also more serious provocations, depending on their mood for the day. There are days when they make serious insults, while there are days when they are less serious. Insulting people, livestock breeders, border guards, and even shooting at them has become a regular occurrence. Those who are genuinely fearful have left long ago. Rest assured, we fear no one over the insults of their soldiers; instead, they seem to be the ones afraid, trying to provoke people into reacting, continually stirring things up. Imagine, they provoke so that you respond, they film your reaction, and send it to their leadership. Such is the level of their insults,” Mirzoyan said.

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