Kocharyan: Armenian authorities are doing everything to force Artsakh  residents to leave Armenia

ArmInfo. It seems that today everything is being done to force Artsakh residents to leave Armenia, as stated by Robert Kocharyan, the second president of the Republic of Armenia and leader of the opposition "Armenia" bloc, at a meeting with residents of Dprabak village in the Gegharkunik region.

During the meeting with the bloc leader, forcibly displaced Artsakh  residents temporarily residing in the village detailed the problems  they face due to the inaction of the Armenian authorities.  Specifically, they pointed to the lack of housing. According to them,  changing circumstances frequently force them to seek new rental  accommodations, yet they have no means to purchase their own homes.  Many reported being at risk of homelessness. " "Every opportunity  exists to provide the people of Artsakh with housing within two to  three years. However, one gets the impression that everything is  being done to make them leave Armenia," Kocharyan stated in response.

According to the leader of the "Armenia" bloc, resolving such issues  is among the simplest tasks for a state.  He explained that the  authorities should have engaged in social housing construction rather  than treating the sector as a business venture. In this context, he  recalled the reconstruction of Gyumri and Spitak during his  presidency (following the Spitak earthquake of December 7, 1988). "At  that time, new buildings were constructed at the state's expense, and  apartments were provided to those affected. When a person is homeless  and has nowhere to live, the state itself must provide them with  housing," Kocharyan argued.  The politician asserted that current  developments in Yerevan are nothing more than "business as usual." He  expressed conviction that the state is obligated to change its  approach in the current crisis. "Over the last eight years, there has  been no social housing construction in Armenia. If the state does not  resolve these issues, it is failing in its fundamental duty,"  Kocharyan concluded.

During a meeting with residents of the Vardenis community, the second  president of Armenia addressed the problem of population outflow from  border villages. He expressed his belief that the Armenian  authorities are deliberately encouraging the depopulation of villages  bordering Azerbaijan—by closing schools, kindergartens, and  hospitals—to facilitate the surrender of territory to the enemy  during border demarcation. "We must do everything to ensure people do  not leave their homes. We must work toward the prosperity of our  border villages," Kocharyan said, vowing to take all necessary  measures to achieve this should he come to power.

Recall, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an  "anti-terrorist operation," initiated a large-scale aggression  against Artsakh, which led to the complete de-Armenization of the  NKR. This was preceded by a nearly 10-month blockade of the republic.  Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which  culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September  2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have lost their homeland and  become refugees.

It should be added that, as of January 9, 2026, only 4,040 families  forcibly displaced from Artsakh had benefited from the state housing  support program.