Shattered but Still: Residents of Armenian Borderline Communities Yet Again on the Brink

“We’re not planning to leave the village, but neither can we bring the kids back to this wreckage. There’s no guarantee they won’t attack again,” says Slavik. He is just sitting and looking at Azerbaijani trenches in the mountains, foreseeing another attack. Potato bags and ripened pear trees guard the remnants of the house, giving Slavik hope for revival.

Just Two Among Many

“The total number of temporarily displaced people from Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces of Armenia is more than 7,600 people — mostly women and elderly, as well as 1,437 children and 99 people with disabilities.

“About 192 residential buildings, three hotels, two schools, one medical facility were partially or completely destroyed. Seven electricity supply facilities, five water supply facilities, three [natural] gas pipelines, and one bridge were damaged. Two ambulances and four private cars were shot at. The Kechut Reservoir was also shelled,” announced Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, Vahram Dumanyan, called on the international community to condemn Azerbaijan’s hostile actions in his speech at the 9th Ministerial Conference of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe held in Nicosia, Cyprus, from October 5-7.

In his official letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, he stated that  24873 school children of 172 schools and 5808 preschool children from 69 kindergartens studying in Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Vayots Dzor regions were deprived of the right to education as a result of the military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan. The activities of extracurricular educational institutions, colleges and universities operating in these regions are also under threat. A special report prepared by the RA Human Rights Defender was also attached to the letter.

Jermuk: From Medical Tourism to Guns

When driving to Jermuk (155 kilometers from Sotk), a touristic spa town in the southeast of Armenia, another bushfire appeared in the mountains, delineating the new borders. The road, which used to be packed with tourist cars and buses, is blocked with a military checkpoint. “Tourist town has become a military polygon,” sighs Jirayr Babayan,49, the owner of a local store in Jermuk.

This part of the country is renowned for its natural resources, healing waters, and wineries. Jermuk is a leading health resort that hosted hundreds of tourists just before the attack. The hotels and spas were packed with tourists and reservations were booked for the upcoming months. Like in Sotk and other areas of attack, the entrance to the city is restricted. Cars are being checked in the new “Jermuk gates” by the military and police. This reporter was escorted with fellow colleagues by a military representative, likewise, going through a 40-minute scan. The Azerbaijani assault left the town bare, with only a few businesses open.

The only light bulb of Babayan’s store trembles, shifting the eyes of the visitors to the half-emptied shelves. He and his wife, Gayane Matevosyan, 44, run a family business to make a living. The war left its scar on their store too. Most of their customers were tourists who left the city and won’t be back until safety is guaranteed. The local businessman says the market was full a few days before the Azerbaijani attack, but now they get 2-3 people daily, mostly servicemen.

“Have you seen the smoke rising in the mountains? That’s them. It’s dark now, but in the morning, we can see them standing and observing us from above. It’s not safe,” Martirosyan explained.

It was 12:05 am when he heard the bombing and was convinced it was a firework. Fireworks without lights. Women, children, the elderly, and tourists were evacuated. He didn’t leave the town even for a second and isn’t planning to.

“They deliberately targeted hotels, the ropeway, and touristic places. It’s the main source of income for people,  so they want to cut it and make people leave voluntarily,” the 49-year-old man says. He describes the situation as “critical but stable” in medical terms.

The smoke in the mountains chokes Jermuk’s emptied streets, hanging all the plans in the air. Yet, Babayan brings the missing bottles back to the shelves. “Do you think a tourist will come back? Maybe in a year, in two years,” says the Armenian entrepreneur. He’s far from positive about the future of his business in the short term.

“Until safety is guaranteed and Azerbaijanis recede to their initial positions, it will not be safe.”