ARGENTINIAN MEDIA: IMMERSED IN COZY LANDSCAPE AROUND GANDZASAR IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT CONTACT LINE IS WITHIN HOUR’S DRIVE

18:37 08/04/2015 >> SOCIETY

For more than 20 years following the ceasefire that put an end to
Karabakh war, Nagorno Karabakh struggles for the recognition of
its independence despite the fact that it has Armenian population,
language, currency and is financed to a significant degree by
Yerevan, Argentinian media outlet Clic de Noticias writes citing
Telam’s article.

“The coincidences do not end here. Nagorno Karabakh republic has the
same flag as Armenia, except for the little white line dividing it
on the right. The government explains that the split represents the
division of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, and the white color allows to
‘dream’ that the split will be overcome one day,” the article reads.

According to the article, there are captivating landscapes and
Christian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh but it is not rich
in natural resources, neither is it a key point for global geopolitics.

However, since the late 80s the territory became a site of tension
and violence which brought about a war causing the death of around
30,000 people; and the fragile ceasefire is being violated to this day.

As the article reads, the conflict broke out in 1988 when the
political movement demanding ‘reunification’ rose in Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh. The whole region was a part of the Soviet Union
by then. In 1921, Josef Stalin decided that Nagorno Karabakh should
be inside Azerbaijan rather than Armenia, despite that fact that
the majority of the population was Armenian. The war destroyed the
territory of Nagorno Karabakh from 1991 – when Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh declared their independence – up to the ceasefire agreement
in 1994.

The author points to the name ‘Nagorno Karabakh’ which takes its roots
from three languages: ‘Nagorno’ – meaning ‘mountainous’ – from Russian,
‘Kara’ – meaning ‘black’- from Turkish, and ‘bakh’ – meaning ‘garden’
– from Persian.

“The Armenians use that name only when they are talking to the
foreigners, but for themselves, according to Nagorno Karabakh
leadership, that ‘holy land’ is called Artsakh, as the tenth province
of the ancient Armenian kingdom of the Middle Ages,” the site writes.

It is noted in the article that at the Armenian government’s
invitation the journalist of Telam visited the small republic with
green mountains, some of whose peaks are covered with snow, and where
the inhabitants of the small villages are engaged in family farming.

On the way to the capital Stepanakert one can read on numerous
signboards that this or that infrastructure is recovered ‘with the
participation of all the Armenians.’

“The center of Stepanakert is the main symbol of the growth and
development of the past two decades. Wide and clean streets, newly
constructed buildings, shops and a football stadium a few blocks
from the calm central square where one can see the same banks which
decorate the whole center of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The
renovated part is modern with a European air; still, what immediately
strikes the eye is that all the shops and banks are either local or
Armenian. The small supermarkets sell European and American products,
especially dainties and drinks, but the significant majority of the
food is either Russian or Armenian,” the article reads.

It is written in the article that there are refugees both here and
in Azerbaijan. However, two mosques of the 18th and 19th centuries
are still preserved in the town of Shushi. The Armenians of Karabakh
are concentrated on the preservation of the medieval monasteries
and schools of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The oldest preserved
monastery is the beautiful Gandzasar of the 13th century. It retains
the simple and strict style of the Armenian churches. It is built on
a mountain and is surrounded by little graveyards of different epochs.

“Immersed in this cozy landscape, it is hard to believe that this
little and picturesque monastery is within an hour’s drive from
the line of contact with Azerbaijan, a militarized zone where the
shots and disturbing news are still a norm rather than exception,”
the author writes.

Related:

TV channel BBC tells about Armenians’ lives in NKR under Azerbaijan’s
permanent threats

British Journal: Nagorno Karabakh populated with Armenians could
become the new wonder of world

The Fresno Bee: In upcoming parliamentary elections NKR will assert
its national independence and sovereignty