Corriere della Sera: Artsakh is reviving country with reliable economy and hospitable people
“A huge piece of gold ore in two miners’ hands. This picture best describes Nagorno Karabakh’s life today,” this is how Marco Merola, an Italian journalist, sees Nagorno Karabakh Republic as described in his article in the daily supplement of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Merola writes that the country with hardworking people tries to overcome the blockade it has been facing for 20 years since the proclamation of independence. Merola writes about Drmbon, a village on the south of Martakert district, NKR, considered to be one of the largest goldmines since 2002. According to the official sources, the sum invested here before December 2014 was $660 million, and a total of 200 thousand tons of gold and lead was dug out between 2003 and 2010.
According to Merola, these are quite impressive numbers for a state of approximately the size of the Italian region Abruzzo. “We cannot separate pure and impure minerals here. We confine ourselves to grinding the ore and selling the products to the foreign buyers,” explains Andranik Hakobyan from the company Vallex.
The works at the mine had ceased by the end of the year as the company decided to move its activities to Khachen valley, a more promising place in approximately 45 kilometers. Unemployment is not a major problem here – something the locals are proud of. However, this would have been impossible to achieve without the support from the Armenian Diaspora, Merola points out.
Further, the author refers to the Armenian Question, writing that there are symbols of gratitude built along the way to Stepanakert, the capital of the NKR, in gratitude to the “brothers” from Russia, the U.S., France and Argentina for funding the construction of schools and hospitals. The war with the Azerbaijanis left grave consequences. The city of Shushi, the symbol of the iron will of the locals in the struggle for the independence, was utterly destroyed.
Merola informs his readers that the military operations officially commenced in 1992 (the first clashes, however, had stared by the end of the 80s) and “ended” in 1994. The hostilities are on to this day with some districts remaining under Azerbaijani control.
Nagorno Karabakh, or Artsakh, as the locals prefer to call it, “has always wanted to get rid of Azerbaijan.” The collapse of the Soviet Union gave the Artsakhians the opportunity to do that. Seventy years before, Stalin had carried out a plan of “impossible merging” by forcing the Christians and Shia Muslims to live together. He failed. The historians claim the reason was the enormous cultural difference between the two nations rather than the religious tolerance.
Today, the country revives. “It is a small country with reliable economy, with the GDP seeing an annual growth of 10% since 2007. They construct luxury hotels, fashionable 24-hour cafés, where dark haired young people with enchanting eyes gather in the evenings,” Merola describes.
The second road to the NKR will have been completed by the end of the year. It is a long-term project. The “Northern road” will connect Vardenis, Armenia, with Martakert, NKR. The new road will become a “tourist route” as it goes across more than 30 villages.
Arayik Harutyunyan, the prime minister of the NKR, says the attraction of the European and American tourists to their country is a crucial goal to achieve. “We have such a rich archaeological heritage that you, the Italians, will envy us,” the prime minister jokes. He tell the journalist about the religion, nature, cuisine of the NKR, highlighting that the visitors will never get bored there. Merola also writes about Artsakh’s coat of arms, the Golden Eagle.
Stepanakert airport, completed in 2012, has never been used. “It feels like you are in an amusement park at the eve of its opening. Everything is just amazing – the waiting room, the airport check-in, the doors, the X-ray scanners,” the author writes in admiration.
He met the head of the Flight Control Department of the airport, Smbat Harutyunyan. “We have a long, 2-km-long runway strip, where airbuses and even cargo aircrafts can land,” Harutyunyan says. Still, only several helicopters and small aircrafts used for agricultural purposes fly there. The dispatchers in Yerevan only transmit information about the weather and work with tourists. They founded an organization called Sky Net, which offers flights on a two-seat aircraft for 1000 drams (approximately 2 euros) a minute. The flights present a magnificent view of dark yellow fields looking like the gold in Drmbon.
Merola writes that the energy industry is currently the key to the NKR independence. Gazprom pipelines supplying Russian gas go along the road, but the locals have big expectations concerning investments in hydropower. Fortunately, the country boasts rich water resources. The main company in the republic, ArtsakhHEK, constructed five new stations between the towns Haterk and Madaghis from 2010 to 2015. The Sarsang Reservoir was constructed by the river Terter in 1976. Merola notes that ArthakhHEK has 1200 shareholders from 10 different countries (including Italy). Today, the company is capable of supplying electricity to the 60% of the population. In 2010, 100 million kW of power was generated; the number is expected to reach to 200 million in 2016, and the coming five years are forecasted to see a rise to 400 million. This means that every house in the NKR, even those high up in the mountains, will be provided with electricity.
At the end of the article, Merola describes the hospitality of the people in Artsakh. “The day comes to its end and the sun, on its way to hide behind the mountains, surrounds the motionless Sarsang Reservoir. An old woman, totally bent by arthritis, is slowly walking along the way with her grandson followed by geese. We are hungry and want to eat something. Zhingyalov hats is a thin flatbread with 20 species of greens. The old woman offers us apricots. We try to refuse or pay for them but she does not allow that. Our guide laughs, ‘You just witnessed the Karabakh hospitality’,” the author recalls.
Related:
Italian journalist: In Armenia, land of lavash and duduk, no misfortune could spoil peoples’ soul
Travel Weekly: Armenia breaking stereotypes – rich cultural heritage, prosperity, safety and fun-loving people await tourists
The National Interest: Strategic advantage and favorable defensible terrain in Nagorno Karabakh are under Armenian control
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