
ArmInfo.Following meetings with the forcibly displaced Artsakh population, it became clear that 55% of them envision their future only in Artsakh, and only 1% have decided to settle in Armenia. This was reported on her Facebook page by National Assembly Member of the Republic of Artsakh Metaxe Hakobyan following her fourth meeting with Artsakh residents this year.
This time, the MP reported, the meeting took place at the "Heroes' Rehabilitation Village" Center. According to her, these meetings were sufficient to highlight the harsh reality: approximately 98% of Artsakh residents continue to face housing problems, and 80% are unemployed. "We are making every effort to find solutions to these issues by every possible, and sometimes impossible, means, but it is clear that without state intervention and adequate social policy, many problems will remain unresolved," Hakobyan emphasized.
At the same time, as the Artsakh MP noted, these meetings reveal another important truth: even in these harsh conditions, the lives of most Artsakh residents remain connected to Artsakh. "Based on the meetings, it became clear that 55% envision their future only in Artsakh, 44% definitely want to return but currently have no idea how to do so, and only 1% have decided to settle in Armenia," Hakobyan noted.
She also noted that this meeting was the most difficult, as it was difficult to speak with a young man who lost his father and brother in the war and himself became disabled during the military actions of 2023. "And it's difficult to meet a father of four young children who is confined to a wheelchair because of the war. These people aren't just 'statistics.' These are destinies, these are families-broken, yet still resilient. And most importantly, they have only one goal: to return home. To the home that was taken from them, the home for which they paid the highest price, the home whose pain they carry with them every day. And ultimately, Artsakh is not lost to those who want to return. Artsakh has been lost by those who have already come to terms with its loss," Hakobyan concluded.
As a reminder, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation," launched another act of aggression against Artsakh. This followed a nearly 10-month blockade of the republic. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September 2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have lost their homeland and become refugees.