NKR MP Hayk Khanoumyan today circulated a public letter in which he says that Alexander Kananyan, a friend of his who lives in Karvatchar, Artsakh, proposes that the government sell a building it owns in Yerevan and use the proceeds to construct a village for Syrian-Armenian refugees in the Araks River valley.

The building, located near the intersection of Moskovyan and Nalbandyan streets once served as the NKR’s diplomatic representation, and can fetch a hefty market price if put up for sale.

Kananyan, who relocated to Artsakh in 2002, says that the 20-30 Syrian-Armenian families who resettled in Artsakh is a drop nin the bucket and that the government should have done more to attract more Syrian-Armenians.

The Karvatchar resident says that it’s a shame that Armenians from Syria and other war-torn nations have moved to Canada, Sweden and other countries, rather than the homeland. He says that making speeches about the need to repatriate Armenians to Armenia and Artsakh are not enough.

Kananyan says that over the years, the failure of the resettlement project in Artsakh is firstly the result of the misguided policy of the country’s president, Bako Sahakyan, arguing that newcomers must wait until the government can take care of the people already living there.

Khanoumyan agrees with Kananyan that such a policy is near-sighted, resulting in a population loss even though the territory has increased 2.5 times.

The Artsakh government authorities, they argue, do not regard people as a benefit to the country, adding to the nation’s diversity and culture, but rather as a source of income.

Khanoumyan concludes by saying that his friend’s proposal will not get off the ground. The problem, he argues, isn’t merely the sale of a building but deals with accepting Syrian-Armenians and integrating them into local society.

Meanwhile, Khanoumyan says that Artsakh’s demographic crisis continues to deepen.