Lachin residents are afraid to return home from Armenia

Residents of Lachin (the Armenian name is Berdzor, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") believe it is not safe to live in their city despite the fact that the Russian peacekeepers and the Karabakh police will have control over the city.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 10, the agreement signed by Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on the end of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh came into force; and local residents began returning to the unrecognized republic.

Armen Movsesyan, a resident of Lachin (the Armenian name is Berdzor, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") noted that less than 200 people, mostly men, remained in the city. "Before the war, at least 2000 people lived in Berdzor. We have been told that we can return home, but I doubt that we will be safe. And a lot of people think the same. It is impossible to live in fear all the time," the man told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Armen Movsesyan himself with his family members – his wife and his son – found refuge in Yerevan: they were accommodated by a sister of his wife.

According to the trilateral statement, the safety of the Lachin corridor is ensured by the Russian peacekeepers. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Gagik Bagunts, the deputy speaker of the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh, a delegate from the "United Motherland" faction. According to him, such corridors are considered to be demilitarized zones. "However, the police will also ensure the safety of the Lachin corridor. And in case of any provocations, the control will be strengthened. Naturally, people have concerns about the safety of communication along the Lachin corridor, given the neighbourhood we got. However, we have to live with these new realities," concluded Gagik Bagunts.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 25, 2020 at 05:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.