Karabakh refugees complain about problems with payments and housing

Because of bureaucratic delays, not all the forced migrants from Karabakh have received monetary compensations in Armenia. For those who move to Stepanakert, the housing problem remains urgent – due to the deficit of housing facilities, refugees have to settle in offices and shops.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that from November 15, 2020, to February 10, 2021, more than 52,000 people returned to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia.

Now, about 1500 Karabakh residents live in shelters, hostels or hotels in Armenia, said Zara Manucharyan, the press secretary of the Armenian Ministry of Labour and Social Security. According to her story, these citizens are paying no rental fees.

Alyona Avetisyan moved to Yerevan during the hostilities in Karabakh. Her family lost their house and business in Gadrut; they left the city just with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Now they rent an apartment for 150 thousand drams (USD 286).

Armine Grigoryan's family first fled from Shushi to Stepanakert at the beginning of the Karabakh conflict in 1988. In 1992 they returned home, but 28 years later, they were overtaken by the same fate – this time they moved to Yerevan.

Armine has six children. Now, they have to rent an apartment in Yerevan and pay 150,000 drams (USD 286) a month for it. According to her story, they have received no state aid because of some inaccuracies in the lists, where they were not included.

Yerevan has set up a headquarters to deal with migrants' matters, where Grigoryan has repeatedly addressed about the help to her family, but the problem is not being resolved.