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Assignment: Armenia's lost garden

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Armenia's lost garden

23/04/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - Assignment, Armenia's lost garden

The life and death of a non-existent country - and the rebirth of its improbable pub

Meet Azat-landlord of the most famous pub in "Artsakh", a country no UN member recognised. How are he and its 100,000 other people coping after their extraordinary mass exodus?

For three decades Armenians ruled Karabakh – literally “Black Garden” – an unrecognised statelet inside neighbouring Azerbaijan. Many saw it as the cradle of their civilisation. But as Azerbaijan retook control last autumn, the entire population fled in just a few days. It was a historic catastrophe for Armenia. But the world barely noticed. How is Armenia coping with its loss? Can 100,000 refugees rebuild their lives? And will the cycle of hatred that caused the conflict ever be broken? Grigor Atanesian reports.

Produced by Tim Whewell
Studio mix: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: 19-year-old Alen Vardanyan (grave in foreground) was one of about 10,000 Armenians killed in battles over Nagorno-Karabakh in the last 35 years. Credit: Tim Whewell/BBC)

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