VERSIONS: روسيا اليوم NOTICIAS FREEVIDEO ИНОТВ RTД FIND US ON: YouTube Twitter
breakingnews
Go to main page   Programs   Prime Time Russia   News   Tourism dream for southern enclave  
MORE ON THE STORY
“We and Our Mountains” sculpture is an unofficial symbol of Nagorno-Karabakh 02.11.2008, 07:32

Caucasian knot may be untied in Moscow

The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia are meeting in Moscow to discuss ways of resolving the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Also known as the Artsakh Republic, the region, which is inhabited mainly by Armenians unilaterally declared ind

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (C) meets with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (L) and President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisyan (AFP Photo / Dmitry Astakhov) 02.11.2008, 17:57

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to talks on disputed land

Caucasus adversaries Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement to try to resolve their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. At talks in Moscow on Sunday both sides agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the row over the breakaway region.

Tourism dream for southern enclave

Published: 14 July, 2008, 05:44

(14.5Mb) embed video

Nagorno-Karabakh, an unrecognised republic that proclaimed independence in 1991, is surrounded by Azerbaijan. Now it survives on subsistence agriculture and inward investment from Armenians across the world.

Cows, goats and sheep, wheat and potatoes, the odd vineyard sprinkled through the countryside and the absence of virtually any industry – that’s the life of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Leonard Grigoryan used to be a bus driver, but now he's a shepherd. He lives kilometres away from the nearest village and once a week he heads there to see his friends and buy some bread.

“I trade in my beef, and I have milk from my cows. Everything I do, I do it for my family and grandchildren. But of course it's hard work,” Leonard says.

But Armenians around the globe are supporting Nagorno-Karabakh, and this is the main source of income for the republic.

A Russian businessman whose family is Armenian has given money to build a school in Nagorno-Karabakh and he has a number of other projects in the area, including a restaurant and swimming pool.

He says his aim is to ignite tourism.

“You know, there are huge prospects for tourism development here. You can see the beauty of this place, and the ecology is great. No doubt it'll be a paradise in the near future,” says Sergey, a businessman.

People who have visited Nagorno-Karabakh as tourists agree.

Shane Leahy is a tourist from Dubai, and it's his second trip to Karabakh. He says Nagorno-Karabakh has a lot of advantages as a tourist spot.

“It's safe, it's not expensive, and it's a relatively short trip to fly here from Dubai and back. And the people here are very friendly compared to other places of the world,” he says.

But it could take a long time before tourists invade in larger numbers, as Nagorno-Karabakh has no airports or railways.

‘Frozen conflict’

Nagorno-Karabakh is the source of a dispute between two former Soviet republics, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and is now one of the world's 'frozen conflicts'.

The region was devastated by a war fought over its independence at the beginning of the 1990s. It lasted three years taking the lives of over 30,000 people. The conflict ended in a ceasefire with Armenian army units defending the republic's unofficial borders.

Nagorno-Karabakh's population is made up of almost 140,000 ethnic Armenians who are adamant they want to retain their self-determination. But tensions are looming as Azerbaijan calls for its army to be ready to take Karabakh back.

+1 (2 votes)
 
Back to top
next MORE NEWS
AFP Photo / Artyom Korotayev 13.07.2008, 16:59

Moscow gets taste of Formula One

Russian fans of Formula One got a real treat on Sunday. Two of the sport’s top racing teams demonstrated their competition cars on an improvised Moscow circuit. It was part of a festival of motor racing, with other kin

14.07.2008, 05:45

Electronic chipping to deter dog thieves

Russian dog owners are signing their pets up for a new electronic implant scheme to stop them getting lost or stolen.