06 06 23- SHAHUMYAN AND GETASHEN ARE QUICKLY BECOMING AZERI

LANDSA1+[02:15 pm] 13 June, 2006"The issue of Northern Artsakh must be involved in the procedure of theMinsk group negotiations and solved," Edik Balayan, chairman of"Shahumyan-Getashen" Patriotic Union aroused this question in the club"Pastark."Today is a tragic day for all the residents of Shahumyan and Getashenregions as the Azeribaijanis forcibly displaced 21 000 residents fromtheir dwelling places 15 years ago. According to Edik Balayan, 18Armenian villages of the Northern Artsakh were confiscated and are stilloccupied by the Azeri armed forces. "The residents of Shahumyan andGetashen migrated to Armenia, USA and Russia and settled there with thehope that one day their homeland will be liberated and they will have achance to return," claims Edik Balayan.In his words though 15 years have passed since then, the overwhelmingmajority of the displaced people is in terrible social state; they livein temporary shelters and are unemployed. Besides, the issue of themissing people, hostages and war prisoners is almost neglected.Edik Balayan urges that the Armenian lands are quickly repopulated andthe Azeri side has provided special conditions on this score; the newdwellers are given houses, 300 USD, 25 000 manats, animals, etc.The chairman of the Patriotic Union also underlines the fact that theAzeri side destroys Armenian monuments, graveyards and attempts toeliminate all the bases of the ethnic origin.

V.V