News - USAID: We call for ensuring the rights of families from Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their homes

We call for ensuring the rights of these individuals and families (from Nagorno-Karabakh - ed.) so that they can safely return to their homes. This was stated by Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), at a July 10 briefing in Yerevan, responding to a question from the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent. According to her, many families want to visit churches, temples, and graves of their relatives, but so far, this return has not happened. She assured that the Agency will continue to call for and work in that direction. Power explained that there must be proper conditions for return, fundamental among which is a change in circumstances. "I was at the border in September 2023, and I still remember the stories of the families from Nagorno-Karabakh who fled to Armenia and the fear they endured. They were unable to get food and medicine for months before Azerbaijan took these communities. The persons I met had lost contact with their families during the hasty exodus (from Nagorno-Karabakh - ed.)," the Agency head noted. She expressed satisfaction that many of these families were able to reunite, but not in all cases. Power recalled that yesterday, she visited a place run by a businessman from Nagorno-Karabakh who fled to Armenia several years ago. "He employs people who have recently come to Armenia. The spouse of one of the female employees is missing, the spouse of another was killed in the fighting. This reflects what many families have experienced," she added. In her assessment, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has truthfully emphasized the importance of ensuring the welfare of the more than 100,000 people who have arrived in Armenia, expressing confidence that the Armenian government is making significant efforts to employ these people. "The data for June shows that employment rates have increased, but the suffering of this group of population continues to be extremely great, as they have left a lot there. We support this population, and we support kindergartens and schools that have hosted children who have experienced serious traumas," the head of the agency concluded.