The mayor of Gyumri, Samvel Balasanyan, told Aravot Daily in an interview about tourism development that tourists visiting the Shirak province should see the ruins of Ani first and then visit Gyumri. However, according to the mayor, the Kharkov village needs to become active in order for tourists to enjoy Ani.
The village Kharkov, also called Nor Shen, which is situated in the administrative territory of the Shirak province, is separated from the ruins of Ani by a gorge. It is necessary to obtain permission from Russian border guards in order to enter this village. Even the inhabitants have to have a pass to enter their birthplace.
For that reason, the village situated on the Armenian-Turkish border has emptied. The residents, seeing no way out, have left their own village. The houses and the church are in ruins. The only resident of the village is 83-year-old Vahandukht Vardanyan, who refuses to leave the village in order to not make the enemy happy. Her mother-in-law, who was saved from the Turks, begged her daughter-in-law before her death, “Even if you do not have flour to make bread, burn the tonir, let the smoke rise so that the enemy can see that people live in the village. That way, they can’t be happy because of the village’s emptiness.”
According to the mayor of Gyumri, the checkpoint needs to be moved closer to the cliff so that all tourists can go to Kharkov and see the ruins of the historical capital.
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“That village needs to be free of barbed wire. If this happens, it will be ideal: people will go to see Ani and then come back to Gyumri,” Samvel Balasanyan suggested.
Nune Arevshatyan
