Forced migrants from Karabakh demand to build a settlement for them in Armenia

At a protest action in Yerevan, more than 50 forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh have added to their earlier demands a call to build a separate settlement for refugees. Officials in Armenia ignore the problems of forced migrants and do not allow them meeting members of international institutions, the “Association of Armenian Refugees” announces.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh regularly hold protests in Yerevan. They demand from the Armenian authorities to grant them the official refugee status and recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, on July 14, a protest action with such demands was held by several dozen forced migrants from Gadrut.

During the protest action, Levon Airiyan, the chair of the “In the Name of Gadrut” NGO, voiced four demands of forced migrants to the Armenian government.

First of all, the authorities of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh should “ensure the Armenian status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).” Furthermore, the authorities should clarify the refugee status for forced migrants, protesters say.

The forced migrants also demand to build a separate community for their community in Armenia.

The fourth requirement voiced by the forced migrants concerns social problems. According to the decision of the authorities, financial support for the forced migrants should be provided until housing is allocated to them. However, according to a spokesperson for the protesters, the payments of money “are being delayed for months and the refugees are not even able to pay rent.”