A group of Shushi residents gathered in the reception room of the Embassy of the Artsakh Republic to discuss issues of being provided with apartments and jobs, as well as their children’s ability to go to preschool. After discussions were held, the embassy assured that they are doing everything possible. “This is a continuous process that we are carrying out with our citizens. They are able to appeal to the embassy with any issues, there is nothing strange about that,” the representative of Artsakh in Armenia, Sergey Ghazaryan, told reporters. Despite the fact that the majority of citizens voiced issues about a lack of housing, Ghazaryan said that this is not the only priority. “We are not the ones who make the decisions. Those who make the decisions are the appropriate bodies in Armenia and Artsakh. We need to remain aware of the problems our citizens face so that we can present these issues in an operative manner to the appropriate bodies. First, we present them to the government of Artsakh, and then to the Armenian government according to need. The process is very difficult, but I cannot give specific numbers at the moment as far as how many Artsakh citizens need housing. It is impossible to solve the problem in a matter of days, but we are definitely carrying out the appropriate activities in that direction.”
A resident of Shushi, Nairi Grigoryan, told reporters, “I have spoken to all Shushi residents and I know the conditions they are living in. Taking into consideration the coronavirus pandemic, we can as a small group. We did not come to complain, but we came to inform the embassy that they should first take care of the issue of our housing. There are people who are living in hotels, but they need to leave the hotels now.”
According to her, they first need to consider safety and then housing. “I, for example, will not be going to Stepanakert because my safety is not guaranteed. Yes, many people from Artsakh are returning to Stepanakert, but I work with children. There are unexploded mines. I advise everyone to avoid returning until they are safely disposed of. There are even bombs near the schools. I’m scared as a parent. I came here from Shushi on November 2nd. I stayed until the enemy used banned weapons. My sons were there. They told me to leave because it was no longer safe.”
Nairi Grigoryan thanked all Armenians who helped the residents of Artsakh. She also said that the government of Artsakh did not specify where the residents of Shushi are supposed to live now, as Shushi is under enemy control. “There were around four thousand people. Some of them were given apartments in Stepanakert. Others are staying with relatives, and others are in hotels. The rest are in Armenia. We’re not saying that we want to live in Yerevan. We’ll even live in villages. We want to return to Artsakh very much. I was 12 during the first war. I passed through Aghdam on the way to Martakert from Stepanakert, and the enemy was there. They would fire upon us. Until our safety is not guaranteed… Stepanakert residents have returned to their homes in Stepanakert, but where should the Shushi residents go? We return to our homeland if possible. I wanted Shushi to flourish. Even if it is in ruins, its residents will return, rebuild, and live there.”
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Luiza Sukiasyan
