According to the official data of the State Committee of Real Estate in Karabagh, one square meter in the residential area of Stepanakert cost 120-260 dollars as of September. Compared to last year, the price of homes has increased by 38%.
The cheapest homes are in Martakert and the price of a one square meter residential area is 35 dollars. As for Askeran, the price is 59 dollars per square meter, 65 dollars in Martuni and 42.5 dollars in Hadrut.
The prices have gone up by 71% in Shushi and the average price of a one square meter territory is about 42 dollars. Despite the rise in prices, families from Armenia come to Shushi to settle down.
The Avanesyans moved from the Vorotan village in the Syunik Marz to Shushi two weeks ago. As Aghvan Avanesyan says, they used to live in the village of Berdzor. During the years of the Karabagh war, they moved to the village of Vorotan where they were busy with cattle-raising and cultivating vegetables. They were living in normal conditions, however, they were forced to move to Karabagh due to the children’s education since higher education is too expensive in Yerevan. Currently, their child studies at the Karabagh State University: “True, we are not living that well here, but we can make some compromises for the kids’ future, even more when you are in the Homeland. As for living in Shushi, I must say that the prices for homes here are much lower compared to those of Stepanakert. That is why we decided to buy a home here,” said A. Avanesyan. Nobody works in the Avanesyan family, but as the father says, a hard-working person always finds a job. In regard to the different plans announced by international organizations and politicians about the Karabagh peace settlement, Aghvan Avanesyan said that first of all, it is not necessary to transfer all the refugees, much less have them live here. Secondly, the people of Karabagh should be the ones with the right to speak about the conflict settlement. “Neither a European nor foreigner can not solve that problem,” says the resident of Shushi.
Suren Tunyan’s family moved to Shushi from Jermuk (Armenia) on November 1, 2004. Mr. Tunyan was working at the municipal hospital of Jermuk as the head of the therapeutic department. He was born in the village of Matchkalashen of Karabagh. According to him, his roots forced him to come and live in Karabagh. “I always feel that I owe something to my Homeland. That is why I came here so I can help the residents of Karabagh with my work experience. Currently, I work at the Shushi hospital and I am satisfied with my job and I love my colleagues. I live with my son who works as a trainer at the sport school,” said Tunyan during our interview.
Besides families from Armenia, there are also many refugee Armenian families from Azerbaijan and Martakert living in Shushi. The organization for refugees and people who have been removed by force is in Shushi and the organization is involved in the issues concerning refugees and defending their rights.
It is well-known that there will be much attention drawn to the development of this ancient city in the years to come. The authorities of the country plan on creating conditions for business development.