I do not want my children to find our house destroyed, says Karabakh resident

Armenian lawmaker Manvel Grigoryan feels in his element when he speaks about the recent aggressive behavior of Azerbaijan. “We have decided to silence them [Azerbaijanis] forever,” he says. Twenty-two years ago, they [Azerbaijanis] begged Armenians to sign an armistice.  Manvel Grigoryan can say exactly who begged for a truce. “It was Heydar Aliyev who begged us to sign a ceasefire agreement then. By God, we shall square accounts with the enemy again,” he said. Manvel Grigoryan, who is in Karabakh now, is trying to understand Azerbaijan’s actions after yesterday’s ceasefire agreement reached between the conflicting sides. “Perhaps, Azerbaijan is playing another game, I cannot say.” Although the enemy has destroyed almost everything in Martakert, the locals did not panick or hurry to leave the city. Most of the houses were new in the city. Now people will have to start from scratch. “About 21-30 houses were slightly damaged in the shelling. Baghryan Ilich, Mirzabekyan giro and Gyurjyan Mishik – our mayor – will help me restore the damaged houses until I go to fetch my children from Stepanakert. I do not want my children to find our house destroyed,” says Artur Asryan, deputy Mayor of Martakert. Residents of Martakert treat their ruined houses in the same way as one would treat a wounded relative.  What they need now is peace on the frontline.