Nagorno-Karabakh, along the borders.
Report produced for Libération in April 2023 along the Armenian-Azeri borders with Blandine Lavignon (text)
On the Armenian side of the enclave disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan, the isolation of the inhabitants intensifies as Azeri operations erode their borders. Heading towards the border with Azerbaijan, the mountainous heights of the Syunik region reveal a multitude of criss-crossing roads. On the other side of the valley lie the territories controlled by Baku since the end of the war in 2020, and in the middle of them, like an island, Nagorno-Karabakh remains under Armenian control. The mountainous enclave, self-proclaimed independent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, is disputed by both countries. While the only road linking it to the rest of Armenian territory has been blocked by Azerbaijan since December, the situation has become even more critical since the Baku authorities set up a checkpoint on April 23 at the beginning of the new route built by Armenia to bypass the blockade.
A shepherd and his sheep on the road between Yerevan and Goris
Portrait of Ararat with his mother Rosa.
Ararat draws a map of the village, explaining the evolution of the border since the last Nagorno-Karabakh war and the loss of part of the village, now located in Azerbaijan.
Two residents of Shurnukh look at Ararat's garden. The new borders forbid him to use his garden, now located in Azerbaijan. He stays in his house waiting for the end of the works of the new houses, located upstream of the village.
The old road used to connect Goris with Kapan, the largest cities in the Syunik region. Today it passes through several points in Azerbaijan. It is therefore almost impossible to use it. On both sides of the road there are many military observation points, often connected by long trenches.
Mariné and her young son, residents of the village of Shurnukh and refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh
Landscape of Syunik. Below, the border village of Khnatsakh, a few kilometers from Vaghatur.
Portrait of Masis Arakelyan, 73 years old and his grandson Masis in the village of Vaghatur.
Landscape of Syunik. Below, the border village of Khnatsakh, a few kilometers from Vaghatur.
Two Russian soldiers observe the corridor and the new road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
Landscape of the corridor and the new road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. In the center, a bridge and the installation by Azerbaijan of a checkpoint at the Latchine corridor, completely blocking access to the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the bridge, a second road is being built by Azerbaijan along the border. A blue sign now indicates the entrance to Azerbaijan.
Portrait of Artur Hovhannisyan, representative of the Republic of Artsakh in Goris to help the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Young Armenian soldiers in an army truck along the road between Goris and Yerevan.
