Protesters in Yerevan call on USA to ensure safety of Nagorno-Karabakh residents

The United States must achieve the restoration of the 1994 status quo for Nagorno-Karabakh and resume negotiations, protesters in Yerevan have stated.

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have held an action in front of the US Embassy in Yerevan and handed over a letter to the diplomatic mission with a request to ensure the security of Karabakh Armenians, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

Levon Airyan, the head of the NGO "In the Name of Gadrut", believes that "Armenian authorities are surrendering Berdzor and Akhavno, just as they earlier surrendered Shushi and Gadrut."

"Aik Khanumyan, an Artsakh minister, threatened in Akhavno that if Armenians set fire to their houses when leaving, as was the case in Karvachar, they would receive no compensation," Mr Airyan has noted.

In his opinion, "the USA, as a democratic state, cannot stand aside when the ethnic cleansing of Armenians is underway in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and must become a guarantor of their safety."

Local authorities have demanded from residents of the communities of Akhavno, Sus and Berdzor to leave their houses by August 25, as the Lachin Corridor will be transferred to Azerbaijan. Akhavno villagers have appealed to the presidents of France and the USA urging them to intervene in the situation with forced resettlement.