Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh adjust to life in Armenia

DW (English)

More than 100,000 people fled from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia after the enclave was attacked by Azerbaijan. They are now are trying to reorient themselves far from home.

Transcript

00:00 Apples like these are hanging in her garden too, back home in Nagorno-Karabakh.

00:06 But Victoria Gavurgen can't pick them anymore.

00:10 Since fleeing from Azerbaijani rockets, she's been living with her daughter-in-law, Anait,

00:14 and her grandson, Arzvik, here in Arelez, Armenia.

00:19 She rents a place to stay from this woman here.

00:23 When Victoria thinks about all she's lost, she makes flatbread filled with nettles and

00:27 coriander.

00:28 It's a typical dish in Nagorno-Karabakh.

00:31 It stirs memories and comforts her a bit.

00:35 They're really spicy, with a lot of pepper.

00:38 Victoria had to leave her home with no advance notice.

00:44 We had to leave everything behind.

00:46 We had just the clothes on our backs, nothing else.

00:50 Six of us took a little car together.

00:54 We'd pack just two blankets to cover ourselves at night.

01:03 Azerbaijan's sudden attack on Nagorno-Karabakh caused people to flee en masse.

01:11 In just a few days, over 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled from the enclave towards Armenia via

01:16 the Lachin Corridor in the mountains.

01:21 They were afraid of being hunted down because of their years fighting for independence.

01:25 Since the war between the neighboring countries three years ago, the region has been under

01:28 Azeri control.

01:31 The Armenians were forced to recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over the land.

01:36 And now tens of thousands of people from Nagorno-Karabakh, like the Gavorgan family, must start over

01:41 from scratch in Armenia.

01:49 Five of them are sharing this patio in two tiny rooms.

01:53 Little Arzvik's father has found a job as a taxi driver.

01:56 His older sister doesn't wish to be filmed.

02:05 Words can't describe what we've been through.

02:10 Every day the little one asks when we're going back.

02:14 Every day, in the morning and evening.

02:19 Armenia has taken on the refugees.

02:22 Many don't have anything left and need government support.

02:26 The European Union and international aid organizations have been sending aid, but the poor country

02:31 in the Caucasus is overwhelmed.

02:36 The arrival of over 100,000 people from Nagorno-Karabakh is putting a massive strain on the Armenian

02:42 economy, especially regarding banks, because most of the refugees have debts.

02:47 Nagorno-Karabakh only had Armenian banks, and they are owed around half a billion dollars

02:53 now.

02:58 Like dozens of refugee families, the Gavorgans fled from Nagorno-Karabakh and arrived in

03:02 the village of Aralez with almost nothing.

03:06 They're about 45 kilometers from the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

03:10 Many are traumatized from having to flee and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan three

03:14 years ago.

03:18 Many soldiers are buried at the cemetery in Yerevan.

03:21 Almost 4,000 Armenians lost their lives back then.

03:25 Almost every family had a deceased or injured acquaintance, friend or family member to mourn

03:29 back then, including Victoria Gavorgian.

03:33 Her granddaughter was killed in a rocket strike.

03:39 The kids were waiting for the taxi so they could be taken to the underground shelter.

03:43 It was 7.10 in the morning.

03:45 A rocket flew right at us.

03:48 My two daughters-in-law were injured.

03:52 It hit my grandson on the head, arm and leg.

03:58 He was bleeding a lot.

04:00 The war was a major turning point for the Armenians because their key strategic ally,

04:05 Russia, provided less and less support.

04:09 There may still have been Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh to protect the

04:13 Armenian population, but shootings were common along the Azeri-Armenian border.

04:19 And even now, when Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh, Moscow didn't intervene to help.

04:30 That was a revelation for us.

04:32 We understood we were alone, without our ally.

04:36 It's a tragedy, and it hurts to say Russia shares responsibility for this tragedy.

04:43 Like many refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, the Gavorgians feel in danger, remembering

04:47 the fate many of their people met over a century ago, when genocide took the lives of hundreds

04:52 of thousands of Armenians.

04:59 I don't have any plans, just a dream.

05:02 I'd like to return to Nagorno-Karabakh one day, to visit my little daughter's grave.

05:08 But I don't want my remaining children to live there anymore.

05:11 I don't want to lose them, too.

05:14 For me, Nagorno-Karabakh will always be a war-torn region.

05:18 We've lost our trust in both the government and anyone else.

05:22 We only trust ourselves anymore.

05:27 I don't know what will become of us.

05:35 Victoria Gavorgian, her family, and their many fellow refugees don't expect to be able

05:40 to return to Nagorno-Karabakh.

05:43 For now, all they have left are their memories.

05:45 (dramatic music)

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