Residents of seven villages in Artsakh’s Martakert region were told on Tuesday that they would have to evacuate, because their villages were deemed to be part of Aghdam, which was surrendered to Azerbaijan on Friday as part of the “end of war” agreement signed last week.

The villages of Nor Maragha, Nor Aygestan, Nor Seysulan, Nor Karmiravan, Nor Haykajur, Hovtashen, and Nor Jraberd in the Martakert Region of Artsakh are now fully under Azerbaijani control, while Martakert is not one of several territories to be relinquished to the enemy.

“Since this area was located in the Aghdam Region during the Soviet years, it seems this is why these villages were forced to be emptied,” said Artak Beglaryan, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender.

“After 30 years we have to leave our homes to the Turks,” one resident who packed his belongings to be evacuated told Artsakh Public Television, whose crew and reporters caught up with the devastated residents.

Before leaving, some villagers burned down their houses.

“Well, you can understand the people. If they left their houses in the 90s, why should they leave them for the second time? I don’t know if it is right or wrong, but that’s what they are doing,” said a resident of Nor Maragha.

However, not everyone is setting their house on fire.

“We hope that there may be some changes,” said another resident. “We will return, repair the roof of our house and live in our house agains.”

Beglaryan said, the Artsakh government will do everything to initially provide temporary shelters for the displaced residents, after which the authorities will try to resolve the issue of everyone’s housing.