If the family who came to Armenia from Shushi had any hope to return to Artsakh before the end of the war, they do not even have hope to return to another town in Artsakh.
This family that sought refuge in Yerevan stayed at a hotel in the beginning. When the hotel was no longer able to provide shelter, the family was able to find an apartment for rent in the outskirts of the city. They moved as a family of six and they continue to live there, but the older family members cannot imagine how they will continue to provide for themselves.
The mother, Arpine Gasparyan, said that they lived for the past two months off of government benefits, including food packages. Sometimes, the family received clothing. “How long are we supposed to live off this help? I don’t know. It is difficult to live like this,” Arpine told Aravot Daily.
The family had a small store in Shushi. They took out a loan and were trying to start their business, but the war brought all of their plans to a halt.
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Arpine has four young children, and she said that the children received their benefits over the past few months. They were able to get by that way. They also registered to receive the 300,000 AMD government assistance, and they are waiting for the money. “I also received 83,000 AMD. Every person from Artsakh will receive 68,000 AMD, and an additional 15,000 AMD because we do not have property in the Republic of Armenia. It is a ridiculous amount of money, meanwhile we lost much more expensive property in Shushi. Rent costs 140,000 AMD monthly. In the beginning, it was 130,000, but then the landlord increased the cost. Then, we have to pay utilities on top of it. I don’t know how we will be able to pay for everything. As a mother of several children, I received 36,000 AMD in benefits every month. But this time, they said that there is no order to receive benefits in December. They told a lot of people that we need to return to Artsakh, and then we will receive it.” Families from Artsakh who are staying in Armenia will receive benefits next week, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Arpine appealed to the Artsakh government staff in Armenia to return to Artsakh. She will agree to move to any village in Artsakh if there is nowhere to stay in the cities.
The family is in a difficult situation in Yerevan. They do not know how they will pay for rent in the coming months. Arpine thinks that she may find a job in Armenia, but it is difficult to do so. In addition to that, thousands of people from Artsakh are staying in Yerevan, and many of them are looking for jobs. Arpine is looking for a job, but she is unable to find one due to the fact that she is trying to find something that will fit her schedule so she can take care of her mother-in-law and children. Her husband also has health problems, so he cannot do hard labor. But, if he finds something suitable, he will not refuse to work.
The government passed a resolution according to which citizens of Artsakh from cities that are no longer under Armenian control who are staying in Armenia will be able to undergo training with employers for three months, and they will receive 100,000 AMD for that without having to pay taxes. Most likely, Arpine will try to make use of that program. At the same time, she is thinking about leaving Armenia. “I do not see a safe future for my children in Armenia anymore. It is scary. I don’t feel safe. We saw that Aliyev’s army is slowly moving forward. We saw that he did everything he said he would. We used to laugh at Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s statements, but they did everything they said they would.”
Nelly Babayan
