About 120 thousand of almost 150 thousand residents of Nagorno Karabakh have returned or remained after the war.
Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan told the Russian “Regnum” news agency, emphasizing that it is the best indicator of the local people’s great trust towards the Russian peacekeeping troops.
“It shows the determination and will of our people to live and create in their own homeland, even in such difficult conditions.
Moreover, despite all the efforts of the Azerbaijani side, the gross violations of the ceasefire, military and psychological pressure, the migration balance is still positive. Most of the IDPs residing in Armenia want to return to Artsakh, but they still can’t come because of the lack of free housing,” said Artak Beglaryan.
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Touching upon the terms of the presence of the Russian peacekeepers and the actions of the Artsakh Armenians, the State Minister noted that the Russian peacekeeping forces will likely remain in Nagorno-Karabakh for more than 5 years, as he is convinced they will extend their mission in Artsakh, because the conflict has not been settled yet and Azerbaijan continues its policy of evicting Armenians from Artsakh.
“Therefore, as long as there is a threat of genocide against the Armenians of Artsakh and the unanimous desire of our people is to receive long-term and lasting security guarantees from the peacekeepers, I think the issue of their withdrawal should not even be discussed. The desire of our population and security needs are the primary factors in determining the issue of the long-term mandate of peacekeepers.
However, we do not expect this conflict to last forever; we are ready for its political settlement, of course, taking into account our rights and interests and with the indisputable condition never to be a part of Azerbaijan.
Taking into account the positions and actions of the Azerbaijani side, their deep anti-Armenian sentiments, we realize that a comprehensive and final settlement of the conflict can be possible only decades later. All the peoples of the region deserve to live in peace and dignity in their homeland,” Beglaryan said.
