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Exactly one year ago, on September 19, 2023, the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh whose population was under siege for 10 months. Azerbaijani military aggression was coupled with ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population.
According to the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, more than 200 servicemen and civilians were killed in Artsakh as a result of military aggression. About 12 civilians and 30 servicemen are considered missing. There are cases of torture of at least 14 persons, 12 of whom are servicemen and 2 civilians. As a result of hostilities, 3 children were killed, 231 servicemen and 80 civilians received physical injuries of various degrees.
16 people were captured including representatives of the former military and political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh.
As a result of the hostilities, Artsakh Armenians were forced to deportation to Armenia having neither time nor opportunity to take out their property. According to the Investigative Committee, 64 civilian deaths were recorded during the forced displacement and its immediate aftermath, which is directly linked to the privation suffered during the siege period, ethnic cleansing operations and deportation such as hunger, lack of medications and medical care.
The number of Artsakh population forcibly displaced to Armenia is 100,625. In order to meet their primary needs, as well as cover living and other expenses, the Armenian government has implemented a number of programs.
One year has passed since the forced displacement, and Fact Investigation Platform tried to elucidate some facts related to the forcibly displaced and what assistance programs have been implemented during this one year.
The distribution of the forcibly displaced persons by regions
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, in response to Fip.am’s inquiry, informed that those forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh were concentrated in 10 regions of Armenia.
The distribution of Artsakh residents by RA regions displays the following picture:
Aragatsot 4014,
Ararat 14,743,
Armavir 10,416,
Gegharkunik 3468,
Lori 5496,
Kotayk 20,331,
Shirak 3368,
Column 3439,
Vayots Dzor 1274,
Tavush 2383
In other words, 68,932 forcibly displaced Artsakh residents have settled in different settlements of the regions of Armenia.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure did not provide any information about Yerevan.
How many Artsakh residents left Armenia?
According to the data published by CivilNet, as of July 1, 19,570 forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh left Armenia by air and land, and 8,219 returned. That is to say, as of July 1, 11,351 Artsakh residents (people having Artsakh registration) left Armenia and did not return.
Artsakh residents receive citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
At the session of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly held on September 3, the Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, Armen Ghazaryan, reported that as of August 30, more than 4,300 persons forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh have received citizenship applications, and about 3,000 have already received RA citizenship.
As for the refugee status, on which the government adopted a decree on October 26, 2023 for a period of 1 year with the possibility of extension, now a draft decree has been developed establishing temporary protection until December 31, 2025, with the possibility of another extension.
How many Artsakh residents have registered employment?
According to the data of the State Revenue Committee, as of April, there are 15-16 thousand registered workers from Artsakh in Armenia. This was announced by RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Davit Khachatryan back in July, highlighting that after April that number could reach 20,000. Davit Khachatryan also noted: “There are types of employment that, for objective or subjective reasons, do not receive registration in the SRC system, that is, apart from these numbers, there are many people who are employed.” He also emphasized that the number of registered workers tends to grow.
Implemented and ongoing programs by various ministries intended for the forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
In response to Fip.am’s written inquiry, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs informed that a number of programs have been implemented by the government of the Republic of Armenia in order to meet the primary needs of the forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as cover living and other expenses.
In particular, the assistance program of AMD 100 thousand was carried out, within which lump sum financial assistance was provided to all members of the displaced families.
AMD 50,000 assistance was provided every two months to cover the accommodation and other expenses of the forcibly displaced persons. In addition, the assistance measure of AMD 40+10 thousand was implemented and is still in progress. For the purpose of professional training and employment, the state assistance program for providing employment to people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh is ongoing, and the state assistance program of housing for the forcibly displaced families is also underway, within which assistance from AMD 2 to 5 million is provided for each member of the family.
The Ministry also informed that the state assistance program for housing will continue for the permanent residence of the forcibly displaced families from Artsakh.
In addition, in 2025, the Armenian government plans to develop a measure to provide financial assistance for a certain period of time for special and vulnerable groups forcibly displaced from Artsakh.
As of now, about 880 families from Artsakh have applied for the state housing program, of which about 30 have been approved.
Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports
In response to Fip.am’s written inquiry, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports informed that within the framework of the assistance program for the forcibly displaced teachers from Artsakh, a respective platform was launched from October 16, 2023. Teachers forcibly displaced from Artsakh can fill in their personal data and sign up to access all information about teaching vacancies grouped by regions, settlements and subjects. Beneficiaries can find a job vacancy in the subject they teach and receive a 30% bonus within 2 years, and the teachers benefiting from this program from the institutions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor regions, Chambarak and Vardenis communities of Gegharkunik region, as well as Noyemberyan, Ijevan and Berd communities of Tavush region will be given another fifty thousand AMD fixed gratuity.
The Ministry also informed that as of September 13, 2024, 387 teachers from Artsakh were deployed to general education institutions of RA regions under the mentioned program. The submission of applications was planned to be open for 6 months, but it was extended until December 31, 2024.
At the moment, more than 530 forcibly displaced teachers from Nagorno-Karabakh are involved in the general education system, some of them work in Yerevan schools, participating in the calls for vacancies and starting work on a general basis. Others benefit from the assistance program above.
As for the assistance program implemented for the forcibly displaced students from Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ministry informed that in order to organize the studies and ensure the continuity of education, the relevant decrees of the RA government (1, 2) have established procedures to provide partial or full tuition waiver for the students forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh studying in RA primary and secondary vocational and higher educational institutions in the academic year 2023-2024. Within the framework of these decrees, students received tuition reimbursements. In the 1st semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of VET institutions beneficiaries who received tuition fee reimbursement is 919, universities – 1836, and in the 2nd semester, the number of VET beneficiaries – 1133, universities – 1945.
The Ministry also informed that the issue of sustaining the programt is currently under consideration.
Ministry of Health
In response to Fip.am’s written inquiry, the Ministry of Health informed that the medical care and service of persons forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, including children under the age of 18, is provided free of charge and on preferential terms guaranteed by the state (government decree). According to the Ministry, forcibly displaced persons are registered in the prescribed manner in primary healthcare institutions (polyclinics) where they receive primary healthcare services.
In addition, forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh benefit from free and preferential dental medical care and services guaranteed by the state.
Medications for the forcibly displaced persons are allocated with full reimbursement of their cost. Also, forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh enjoy the right to free provision of medications received and distributed through humanitarian aid addressed to the Ministry of Health, as well as received through other humanitarian channels addressed directly to health organizations, in accordance with medical prescriptions.
The MoH also informed that women who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, taken under temporary protection and recognized as refugees became the beneficiaries of the decision No. 568-N of May 27, 2015 of the RA Government “On establishing the procedure of medical care and service with the use of assisted reproduction technologies under free or preferential conditions and the requirements for the beneficiaries.” In other words, with the help of the state, women can get pregnant through in vitro fertilization within the framework of the program to overcome infertility.
In the case of employment in regional medical organizations, health professionals forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh are provided with a monthly amount of three times the minimum monthly salary for a period of up to 6 months. As of September 16, 2024, 41 health professionals who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh have already started working in regional medical institutions under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and are benefiting from this support.
At the same time, according to the information provided by the Ministry of Health, 219 persons forcibly displaced from Artsakh were employed in various medical organizations of Armenia including surgeons, anesthesiologists-reanimatologists, laboratory technicians, obstetricians-gynecologists, sonographers, rehabilitation doctors, therapists, pediatricians, plastic surgeons, nasopharyngeal surgeons, psychiatrists, ophthalmologists, pharmacists, traumatologists, cardiologists, neurologists, chemotherapists, physiotherapists, midwives, maternity nurses, technical support staff.
Syuzanna Hambardzumyan
