Living in the liberated territories is an act of heroism

by Tatul Hakobyan

Published: Saturday November 15, 2008

Virab Shaboyan, father of nine, with one of his cows.

Beirut - Lebanese Armenians Melkon Hagopian and Ben Bouchakjian have visited the liberated regions in Nagorno-Karabakh several times. They have traveled the territory between the mountains of Omar to the banks of the Araks; they have been amazed at the breathtaking landscape, met with people not cared for by the authorities, and have come to realize that living in the liberated territories is itself an act of heroism. The last time they went to Artsakh was in the spring of this year to participate in a conference c0-organized by the Tufenkian Foundation and the Karabakh government, aimed at ensuring investments for the revitalization and resettlement of the liberated territories.

Mr. Hagopian is amazed that so many years after liberation, the infrastructure of those territories remains dismal; the roads are covered with potholes and it seems as if this is being done in order to force people not to live in those territories; to give up hope and leave.

"Whatever we do for Artsakh, it will seem as if we have done nothing. For the sake of the sacrifices made, we must help Artsakh. We fought to liberate our lands and not seize lands that did not belong to us. We think that Artsakh's power is in the size of its population. Everything must be done to encourage an increase in the size of its population," says Mr. Hagopian.

Mr. Hagopian and Mr. Bouchakjian are the representatives of the Body for Artsakh's Restoration and Resettlement in Lebanon, otherwise known as the Artsakh Fund, which allocates financial aid for the resettlement and restoration of Nagorno-Karabakh. For the past two years the fund has been giving a cow to those families who have a third child in the liberated territories, in particular in Shahumian and Kashatagh.

Last year the two men personally visited the territories and allocated the cows. This year the cows were given to the families by three young Lebanese-Armenians. To date 86 families have applied to the Artsakh Fund and their requests have been granted.

"In return for the money, the beneficiary family must sign a contract with the person from whom they buy the cow. The beneficiaries are photographed during the purchase. The cow is also photographed and marked. People are not allowed to resell their cow, so that they are ensured of a constant income. We have distributed 123 cows with their calves; each cow costs about $600," says Mr. Bouchakjian.

Since 1988, Lebanese Armenians have donated different types of aid to their compatriots in the Artsakh conflict. The Artsakh Fund was established in the 90s and it distributed clothes, medicine, and other types of aid to the Armenians of Artsakh. Over time as demands changed, the name of the organization changed too. Even Lebanese-Armenian schoolchildren help the Armenians in Artsakh. Recently they bought the It Is Already Late DVD about Artsakh and donated the income to the renovation of school furniture in Nor Maragha, Nor Getashen, and Poghosagomer villages.

Months ago the Artsakh Fund organized the screening of military journalist Vardan Hovhanissian's A Story of People in War and Peace documentary film in Lebanon. In 2007 the film won the first prize at the Golden Apricot Film Festival. The entire income of the one-week screening of the documentary was also allocated to Artsakh's restoration and resettlement project.

Mr. Bouchakjian says that a lot of work needs to be carried out in the liberated territories and what they do is simply a drop in the ocean.

"About 200 thousand Azeris lived in those territories: from Karvajar to Araks. Today only 8,500 Armenians live in those same territories," he says.

Mr. Hagopian and Mr. Bouchakjian note that their activities provide them with spiritual satisfaction, but at the same time the suffering of the people and "the indifference of the authorities toward them," causes them pain.

"Karvajar region is impressive. You can go for kilometers and not see a single person and suddenly you see a young girl sitting at the edge of the road. Then you can go further along and see a cow on the road. People live in that kind of desolation. They live in very difficult conditions, but they do not have any expectations. Living in those territories is already an act of heroism. No complaining, no moaning, and no expectation, despite their cruel living conditions. That left a very vivid impression on me. But in terms of state care, those territories are neglected. There is no effort being made for those families to have someone to rely on and feel that they are not neglected and their sacrifices are appreciated," recounts Mr. Bouchakjian of his impressions in Beirut.

The dignity of those living in the liberated territories has also left an impression on Mr. Hagopian. Those who benefit from the Artsakh Fund are very happy and excited when they receive the aid, but they do not act greedily. "On the contrary, those people welcome us with what little they have," he says.