“We do not even know our status, are we displaced, internally displaced, refugees, or what?” one of the residents of Hadrut complained during the public discussion on the topic “Displaced and Occupied Hadrut: One Year Later.” The editor of the Aparaj official newspaper of the ARF Artsakh Central Committee Ara Pluzyan said, “What happened was that we did not have a strategy for so long. If the idea is not a homeland and your homeland is not the place you gave away, you no longer think about it, you do not ask any legal or other questions. Solve social issues from time to time, wear them out, and end the issue.
Will they give us an apartment in 3 years, and more than that later on? Here is an ideological question: do you consider what you have given away your homeland? What status will Artsakh have? After that, the question will come what status should we give to the displaced and refugees. Our current authorities have no national ideology and no understanding of the homeland.”
Levon Hayryan, President of the “For Hadrut” NGO, said, “Do we really believe that there is an issue of Hadrut, an issue of Kashatagh, Shushi?” There is an issue for the Armenians that is either facing annihilation or development. We must call on all those who hold public office to either have a state mentality or to be replaced by other people.”
He suggested that the displaced persons should be given refugee status so that they could raise issues in the international arena, as Aliyev once did. “Not forcibly displaced or displaced. A more interesting issue is raised in Stepanakert: they say ‘moved.’ They say, are we refugees in our country? It is insulting. Let it be insulting; Aliyev did it to attract the attention of the international community. We must solve the issue of refugees in Artsakh.” He urged, “The name NKAO is my personal enemy. There is a republic of Artsakh, we have become independent. We can not take a gun to catch a sparrow, but hit a deer. The chances of catching a sparrow while aiming at a deer are zero.” He assured that only by giving apartments, the people of Artsakh will not stay; Armenians will leave. We need a political solution and Artsakh needs a status, either within Armenia or otherwise. “The issue must be resolved politically, otherwise Artsakh will be emptied of Armenians. Whether you like it or not, Artsakh needs status.”
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Hripsime Jebejyan
