Wednesday, December 23 2020 13:24

ArmInfo.  The damage inflicted on Azerbaijan by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is simply enormous, Artsakh State Minister Grigory Martirosyan said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

He noted that the population of the republic has really faced with a  humanitarian crisis. The damage caused as a result of hostilities  primarily affected the civilian population and civilian objects,  including infrastructure, property of citizens, and other elements  that ensure the normal life of the population.  Now work is underway  to assess it in monetary terms, but we can already say that it is  comparable to the volume of the republic's GDP for several years.  This primarily applies to areas such as agriculture and energy.

According to him, due to the fact that  as a result of hostilities  most of the territories passed to the enemy or was seized, the  economy of the Artsakh Republic lost most of the agricultural land  and energy facilities, not to mention the fact that most of the  property of citizens is real estate, personal and agricultural  machinery - was also either destroyed or left out of control.

As a result, the restoration of the republic's economy after the  damage inflicted on it will take a long time.  "Over the past few  years, we have managed to achieve quite good economic indicators. For  example, in 2019, the volume of our GDP per capita exceeded 4.8  thousand dollars, which is above average compared to the countries of  the region. Now, obviously, we have to start, if not from zero, then  from very low positions. I think it will take us quite a long time,  if not years, to restore the indicators that have already been  achieved. However, I am sure we will achieve this, "the minister  stressed.

The restoration work will be carried out from several sources in many  directions. These are budgetary and extra-budgetary funds, charitable  foundations, assistance from diasporas, and other sources that offer  us similar assistance.

Speaking about the mission of the Russian peacekeepers in restoring  life in the republic, Martirosyan noted that Russia, undoubtedly,  already tcurrently provides the necessary assistance to restore the  main objects of the infrastructure destroyed by the enemy. "At some  point, we were almost left without energy and gas supply, as well as  communications. The peacekeeping mission of Russia, based in Artsakh,  rendered great assistance to us in the restoration of the main trunk  energy supply channels. Due to the fact that some of these highways  passed through the territory close to the border, or one that is  beyond our control, the peacekeepers provided us with real assistance  in ensuring security, as well as technical assistance, which made it  possible for us to quickly restore them. To date, they have been  restored almost in full, and we have already been able to ensure a  stable supply of energy and communications from the outside world to  the republic, "he stressed.

Having found it difficult to name a specific time frame for the  restoration of the republic, the state minister, nevertheless, noted  that now an opportunity is opening up from scratch to develop such  areas that will allow getting better results in a shorter time. First  of all, this concerns the development of intensive agriculture, new  types of energy, some areas of information technology. "We have an  opportunity to direct our efforts to the development of new high-tech  areas that do not require large initial natural resources. To some  extent, we are forced to do this, since today most of the republic's  resources have been lost, " Martirosyan noted.

Answering the question whether it can be unequivocally asserted that  the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is in the past, Martirosyan stressed  that he would like to hope for this. "It can be said unequivocally  that without stable guarantees of security, the population of  Nagorno-Karabakh will not be able to connect their future with living  here. During the forty-four days of the war, we have suffered many  hardships. Thousands of people were killed and injured. These wounds  will hurt in the soul for a long time. Therefore, first of all, we  must understand that only in case of guarantees of the absence of  aggression or military action, our people will be able to connect  their peaceful life with their homeland. Here, undoubtedly, the  primary role will be played by the peacekeeping forces present in  Artsakh>.

As a result of hostilities, about 35-45 thousand NKR citizens lost  their homes. This includes those who lost their homes as a result of  shelling, and those who lost them due to the transfer of a number of  territories of Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijan. Most of these  people are in Armenia today.

"Of course, in order to return them, we must provide them with at  least minimal living conditions. This is a priority task for the  government. For those returning, we provide temporary accommodation  as a matter of urgency. We will use the secondary fund, hotels, and  public buildings. In the future, we see a solution to this issue in  the construction of houses and apartments. Our goal is to provide  housing for all people who have expressed a desire to return, "  Martirosyan emphasized.

He noted that this will take time. Perhaps the solution to this  problem will take place in two stages. The first is resettlement in  prefabricated houses, and in the future - the provision of permanent  housing. The State Minister noted that the leadership of the republic  also turned to the Russian government for help. Today this issue is  being discussed. Part of the help has already been provided: these  are building materials, and basic necessities such as blankets, and  so on.

The restoration of air communication would be of great help in  restoring peaceful life, given that today there is only one road  connecting Artsakh with the outside world. It is in a rather  difficult state, therefore, well-established air traffic would play a  positive role in ensuring stability and confidence in the future of  the republic's residents. At the moment, there is still no complete  clarity about the possibility of the functioning of air traffic. But  there is hope for that. The hopes of all residents are primarily  connected with the fact that the Russian peacekeepers will be able to  establish stable air communication with the outside world. However,  Martirosyan has not yet been able to name any specific dates on this  issue.

Speaking about the epidemiological situation in the NKR, the state  minister noted that today several dozen people with coronavirus who  are being treated in a hospital have been registered.

"Before the war, we had a very good epidemiological situation - not a  single death was recorded, and we effectively fought COVID-19. During  the war, this struggle faded into the background. Due to the fact  that a significant part of the population left the republic and then  returned, there was practically no mask regime or any other  anti-epidemic measures. Naturally, this was reflected in the increase  in morbidity and the number of deaths. The resources of our  healthcare system are sufficient to provide ongoing treatment for  patients. The issue of vaccination has not yet been discussed. I  think we will definitely turn to it after we are convinced by the  example of other countries that the Russian vaccine is effective.  First of all, in Russia itself. As far as I understand, vaccination  is just about to start in Russia. If it proves itself positively, why  not, we can also consider this issue, "the head of the Artsakh  Republic government noted.