Refugees returning to Artsakh (Armenpress photo)

More than 93,000 Artsakh Residents Took Refuge in Armenia, Official Says

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YEREVAN (Panorama.am) — According to the latest data, more than 93,000 people of Artsakh took temporary refuge in Armenia during the recent war, chief advisor to the Artsakh president Mikayel Virabyan said at a news conference on Monday, January 18.

He promised to unveil the exact number of the people who have returned to their homes in Artsakh after the war after completing their entire work.

Virabyan said their main task was to provide the returning people with housing, hot food, clothes and medical care, as well as to resolve the issue of children’s education.

He said that around 300 million Armenian drams allocated by the Artsakh government were mainly provided in material and financial assistance to the people who were forced to leave their homes in the territories occupied by the Azerbaijani forces during the war. About 54 million drams of the sum were directed to the partial reimbursement of the burial expenses for killed servicemen.

He noted that at present there are more than 50 families registered at the operational headquarters of the Artsakh government in Armenia, who have expressed a desire to return and resettle in Artsakh. In early January, 7 families from Kashatagh region returned to Artsakh and settled in the village of Badara in Askeran region, Virabyan said, adding they were provided with housing and other necessary property.

The official said that those who have not yet returned to Artsakh are mainly waiting for the settlement of the housing problem, which is a temporary issue. He noted although the Artsakh government has promised to resolve the issue in the shortest period possible, it is clear that the repatriation process may take up to three years.

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In a related story, Russian peacekeepers on Monday escorted another convoy of refugees who came back home in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) from Armenia, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

To date, 49, 827 refugees have returned to their homes in Artsakh, the ministry said, adding  military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent ensure the safe return of citizens to their places of permanent residence, provide humanitarian assistance and restore civilian infrastructure.

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