NKR State Minister announces his intention to establish charitable  foundation for targeted assistance to Artsakh families

ArmInfo. Nzhdeh Iskandaryan, State Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, announced his intention to establish the "Artsakh in My Heart"  charitable foundation to assist specific groups of the forcibly  displaced population.

Iskandaryan explained during a press conference in Yerevan on October  13, that the foundation's primary focus  will be on providing  assistance to the families of fallen servicemen, Artsakh residents  with first or second degree disabilities, and victims of the  explosion at the fuel depot in Stepanakert. "In the future, if the  opportunity arises, the circle of beneficiaries will be expanded,"  the State Minister added. Iskandaryan also mentioned that the  Armenian authorities had promised to at least address the status of  families affected by the fuel depot explosion, but, as of yet, this  promise has not  been fulfilled. "Such behavior by the authorities is  unacceptable to us. According to the appellate court's verdict, the  explosion occurred as a result of military action. Therefore, this  issue should be on the authorities' agenda," the NKR State Minister  emphasized.

However, Iskandaryan said they still do not expect any action from  the Armenian leadership. He stated that they had previously attempted  to hold discussions on certain issues with representatives of the  Armenian authorities, but were unable to establish contact with them.  In this regard, he announced his intention to reach out to Artsakh  businessmen who have successfully implemented programs in  Nagorno-Karabakh for many years. "Furthermore, we intend to appeal to  the second and third presidents of Armenia - Robert Kocharyan and  Serzh Sargsyan - because of their numerous connections, which could  help resolve certain issues  of the people of Artsakh. We also call  on various benefactors and representatives of the diaspora to stand  with the people of Artsakh," Iskandaryan added.

The Artsakh State Minister also announced his intention to  write to  the newly appointed Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Arsen  Torosyan, to determine whether they will change their approach to  aiding the people of Artsakh and help resolve certain issues facing  the internally displaced population.

All of these issues, according to Iskandaryan, are of paramount  importance to them, because their primary goal is to assist the  people of Artsakh in settling in Armenia. The State Minister believes  that this will open up new opportunities for further advocating for  their return. "We no longer expect anything from the Armenian  authorities. We are certain that they are actually  doing everything   to make sure that the people of Artsakh leave the country. Today, it  is crucial that more than 100,000 Artsakh residents stay in Armenia  to keep the issue of our return home on the agenda," Iskandaryan  concluded.