40,000 left homeless after Azerbaijan's occupation of parts of Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - Up to 40,000 people have been left homeless due to Azerbaijan's occupation of parts of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), according to Artak Beglaryan, who on Wednesday, December 23 stepped down as Karabakh's Human Rights Defender.

"A considerable part of those people are already in Artsakh, and they are facing serious challenges, primarily housing problems, and need to consult a psychologist," Beglaryan told a press conference on Wednesday, Panorama.am reports.

"The issue of creating temporary housing conditions for them needs to be resolved now, they will also be provided with apartments under a long-term project."

Beglaryan said he has been offered a role with the government and added that in his new position he can be more useful in helping overcome the crisis in Karabakh. Though he failed to give more details about his new capacity with the government, he did say he is going to tackle short-term crisis management issues.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.