YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS. The residents of Berdzor town, Aghavno and Sus villages of Artsakh’s Kashatagh region had until August 25 to leave their settlements as these settlements come under the control of Azerbaijan connected with the launch of a new corridor linking Artsakh to Armenia.

The residents of these settlements are taking out their last belongings from their homes, the cultural monuments are being evacuated.

Commenting on the settlement of these people, spokesperson to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh, Viktoria Petrosyan, told ARMENPRESS that most of the residents of these settlements wished to settle in different settlements of Armenia. “The number of families settling in Artsakh is not clear yet. Certificates for evacuated families of acquiring apartments will be ready in late August. Accordingly, they will be settled in the settlements where they wish”, she said.

Many of the residents of Berdzor and Agavno have settled in Armenia’s Syunik province, others moved to the settlements where they have relatives. Armine Avagyan, assistant to the Governor of Syunik, said that 20 families from Berdzor and Aghavno expressed a wish to settle in the province. “The last family moved to the province yesterday. So far, the Governorate of Syunik assisted with cargo transportation and finding a shelter. They mostly settled in Goris and Sisian towns. Tomorrow, the staffers of the Governorate will visit these people to assess the needs and understand who has settled and how”, she said, adding that the Governorate will keep in its spotlight the issues of these families, by trying to give a respective solution.

Zara Manucharyan, spokesperson to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, told ARMENPRESS that there are no concrete programs for Aghavno and Berdzor, but added that there is a mortgage program of state support for providing people displaced from different regions of Artsakh with apartment. “If they meet the criteria, they can apply, like other beneficiaries and can use the program”, she said.

Asked whether families from Aghavno and Berdzor have applied for settling in Yerevan, the Yerevan City Hall said that no one has applied to them on this matter.

Ani Danielyan

Van Novikov