Pashinyan announces a conference for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees

YEREVAN, September 30. /ARКА/. The government of Armenia is in the process of organizing a conference for Karabakh refugees shortly, as stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"In this conference, we will aim to gather their feedback on the assistance programs that have been implemented thus far and to coordinate both short-term and long-term initiatives with them," Pashinyan remarked while responding to inquiries from PACE members on Tuesday in Strasburg.

He said Armenia is optimistic that the international community will extend financial support to address their housing challenges.

"The Council of Europe can also play a role in facilitating various programs for our compatriots from Nagorno-Karabakh, especially regarding their retraining and education. This is a crucial area that will help them integrate more swiftly into Armenia's evolving labor market," Pashinyan stated.

He is of the opinion that Karabakh refugees should establish themselves in the Republic of Armenia with the support of both Armenia and the international community.

"A housing initiative has been initiated, and while it is progressing slowly, I am confident that it will become more effective," Pashinyan observed.

He added, "We envision the future of our compatriots from Karabakh within the Republic of Armenia, with the granting of Armenian citizenship."

The Prime Minister emphasized that he does not consider their return to Nagorno-Karabakh to be a realistic option and wishes to communicate this candidly, as individuals need to formulate their own plans.

"In general, the matter of refugee return in this context, particularly the return of all refugees, poses a risk to the peace process, as conflicts, including the one in Karabakh, originated from humanitarian issues and have transformed into a protracted conflict," Pashinyan concluded.-0-