Azernews.Az

The separatist regime of Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh is luring residents by financial benefits to increase population in the occupied Azerbaijani region.
Since 2008, it promised each married couple about $1,000 to encourage youngsters to start a family and thus increase the Armenian population in the self-proclaimed republic.
According to the British Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), the separatist leadership has allocated 450 million Drams ($1.5 million) from the so-called state budget to support about 1,500 new families. The decision can be seen as keeping the promise that the new separatist leader Bako Saakian made during the so-called "presidential elections" in the summer of 2007.
The efforts have already started yielding fruit. 714 marriages were registered in January-March, a much higher figure than in the same period of last year.
The separatist regime says the Armenian population made up 137,700 in 2006. Not only the Azerbaijani government but also some international observers believe the indicator is embellished on purpose. Despite the sweetener in the amount of $1,000, Garabagh Armenians realize that the region is a territory of another state and are therefore in no rush to settle down in the self-proclaimed entity. The conclusion is confirmed by the fact that 1,310 and over 1,000 people left Garabagh in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
In an effort to increase the region's population, the separatists allow marriages at the age of 16-17. In the future, they plan to provide financial aid to support newly-borns.
The Garabagh regime is also settling Armenians from other countries in Upper Garabagh and other occupied districts. The entry is open for Kurdish terrorists and drug traffickers as well. It is possible that the separatist leadership is involved in these illegal activities to earn funds that are subsequently used to bribe newly-weds.