Migrants from Karabakh demand refugee status from Armenian authorities

In Yerevan, forced migrants from the regions of Nagorno-Karabakh that came under the Azerbaijani control held a rally and a march with the demand to officially recognize them as refugees. The Armenian government fails to deliver on promises of social support, protesters claim.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh have repeatedly protested in front of the building of the Armenian government.

Today, forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh have gathered in front of the building of the Armenian government. Then the protesters have marched to the building of the UN Yerevan Office. Arthur Stepanyan, a resident of the city of Gadrut that came under Azerbaijani control, has explained to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that the aim of the action is to get the official refugee status from the Armenian authorities, which will help to draw attention to the problem from international bodies.

Arthur Stepanyan has added that the protesters continue to insist on resolving the issue of social support. “We have not received any support for more than three months. A month ago, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs promised social payments to refugees in the amount of 25,000 and 50,000 drams (about 52 and 105 US dollars, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”). However, the issue has not been resolved, and there are no payments. People are short of money to pay for rent,” Arthur Stepanyan noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 27, 2021 at 04:08 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.