TORONTO -- A Canadian-Armenian has been killed in the growing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Krisdapor Artin, a Toronto native who moved to Armenia in 2011, was killed while fighting for Armenia, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) confirmed to CTV News.
Artin had been working in the mining industry and owned a business in Armenia before the conflict began. He lived with his family in Kapan, a town in southeast Armenia close to the battlegrounds.
In a Facebook post, the ANCC described Artin as “an active member of the Toronto Armenian community, before repatriating with his family.”
“Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the post continued. “May his soul Rest In Peace.”
Jason Kung, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said in a statement that the agency is “aware of reports of the death of a Canadian citizen in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“Consular officials are liaising with local authorities to gather additional information,” the statement continued. “Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed.”
Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh have been escalating since Sept. 27 and have so far killed hundreds in the area.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region lies within the Azerbaijani border, but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.
Sevan Hajiartinian, a member of the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto and a friend of Artin’s, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Wednesday that Artin died on Tuesday while volunteering on the front lines of the conflict.
She described Artin as a “very humble, honest, loyal friend.”
“He volunteered in our community from the moment that he arrived here,” she said. “He was a youth group leader. He was a member of the organization. He was a mentor to all of the youth from age six and up and everyone looked up to him.”
“He taught us the balance between being Canadian, Armenian and our passion for the country we live in now and the importance of our roots.”
Hajiartinian said that Artin had moved to Canada in the 1990s from Lebanon “to have a better life with his family” and later moved to Armenia for a temporary job, but found a passion for the country and decided to stay.
“He felt that that is home for him and they built their future there,” she said.
According to a February 2020 article in TorontoHye, a news site focusing on topics of interest for the Armenian community in Toronto, Artin was also involved in chinchilla breeding and the fashion industry in Armenia, and provided employment to dozens of people through those ventures.
With files from The Associated Press
