By Felix LightKORNIDZOR, Armenia (Reuters) - When Azerbaijan overran the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, David Harapetyan drove 1,000 km (620 miles) from his home in the Russian city of Stavropol to this Armenian border village to help fleeing Karabakh Armenians.
I came to help my people however I can," said Harapetyan, who was born in this southern corner of Armenia but holds only Russian citizenship.
Armenia’s government said on Wednesday that more than 50,000 Karabakh refugees so far had crossed the border, out of a total estimated Karabakh Armenian population of 120,000.
The sudden influx has strained resources in Goris, the border town where Armenian authorities have booked out hotels for refugees with nowhere to go.
Harapetyan said he and a group of 10 Stavropol Armenians he had arrived with were helping new arrivals with accommodation.
Persons:
Felix Light KORNIDZOR, David Harapetyan, Harapetyan, Karen Martirosyan’s KAMAZ, Karabakh’s, Gareth Jones, William Maclean
Organizations:
Stavropol Armenians
Locations:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Stavropol, Russia, United States, France, Goris, Badara, Stepanakert