We at Hetq have often focused on the tragic social situation in the Kashatagh region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

As a result, a group of Armenians in the diaspora have formed the "Coalition in Support of Kashatagh" and have created a new website, www.kashatagh.com. Included in the website is a petition addressed to President Robert Kocharian of Armenia and President Arkady Ghoukasian of Nagorno-Karabakh. The petition has already been signed by over 1,000 people worldwide.

On November 18th, while in Los Angeles to participate in the All Armenia Fund's Telethon, President Ghoukasian was handed a copy of the petition and signatures by Mr. Mihran Mahmouzian a well-known American-Armenian benefactor who has been to Kashatagh a number of times to do charitable work.

Mr. Mahmouzian described to the NKR president what he saw taking place in Kashatagh with his own eyes. (See: Mihran Mahmouzian:"It's not a catastrophe, it's a complete catastrophe")

President Ghoukasian promised that upon returning to Karabakh he would rectify the problems in Kashatagh within one month.