Your Namak for Friday, February 18
Security authorities uncover spy network in Armenia, Armenian soldier wounded in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and Georgia brawl over yogurt.
Hi there, here’s your weekly briefing of Armenian news in English, curated, reported and fact-checked by journalists Astrig Agopian and Maral Tavitian.
Armenian servicemen arrested for spying on behalf of Azerbaijan
The National Security Service of Armenia announced it has identified a spy network in the country. The NSS accused at least 20 people of spying for the Azerbaijani government. According to the security services, military officers were recruited online by Armenian-speaking women with whom they developed “close relationships” and shared intelligence.
Medium magnitude earthquake strikes Armenia
On February 13, an earthquake of moderate strength struck near the Armenia-Georgia border. Seismologists registered the magnitude between 4-5 in the Shirak, Lori and Aragatsotn regions, and magnitude 3 in Yerevan. No casualties were reported.
Armenian soldier wounded in Nagorno-Karabakh
On February 15, an Armenian soldier was wounded after a shootout in the east of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Prosecutor’s Office, earlier in the day, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on a farm near Askeran where civilians were working. A tractor was materially damaged but no casualties were reported.
Armenia and Georgia brawl over yogurt
Georgia has banned the export of Armenian yogurt to Russia through its territory. The Armenian word for traditional fermented yogurt is “matsun” and in January 2012, Georgia patented “matsoni” (which means yogurt in Georgian) as a geographical indication. Armenia took the challenge over intellectual property rights seriously, as Russia is a key client for Armenian yogurt exports.
Armenia has no direct border with Russia and usually exports products through the land road that crosses Georgia. The scandal escalated further after a Georgian TV report in which the sentence “Karabakh is Azerbaijani, and so is tolma” in Armenian appeared on pictures of yogurt. The broadcaster later apologized and said an employee who did not speak Armenian had found the picture online.
Azat Adamyan: Meet a 31-year-old war veteran and owner of the only pub in Nagorno-Karabakh
“After the war, when I saw that people wanted to leave Artsakh, that’s when I started wanting to build something new, and build it quickly, so that locals could see that stuff was still happening here.”
Azat Adamyan is only 31 years old and has already seen three wars. Yet he is known as one of the funniest and most creative people in Stepanakert.
When I was looking for a place to hang out in Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital city between reporting assignments, pretty much everybody I talked to referred me to Azat’s pub.
One evening in April 2021, I walked to Bardak (which means “mess” in Russian) and was immediately intrigued. The pub looks like a small box in the middle of a courtyard, covered in graffiti and random objects, welcoming visitors with a beautiful wooden door and a Smerch missile. The establishment’s decor gives a hint of its owner’s personality.
“I brought it on purpose, after the 2020 war,” Azat says, referring to the rocket. “I brought it and put it in front of the pub, so that people who come in, who go out, who are around to have a smoke, whoever sees it, can understand what happened to us, and so that even when they enjoy themselves, they always stay ready. Because on the 26th, we were here dancing like there was no tomorrow, having fun.”
The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh started on September 27, 2020.
Inside the pub, you will find flags from countries all over the world, Soviet objects, film and music posters, old phones, words in many languages and Azat, usually behind the bar.
The young man has piercing blue eyes, a shaved head and long beard –– a pretty unusual look for locals. Born and raised in Stepanakert, he studied and taught music before working in the tourism industry. In April 2016, he was on the frontline during the Four-Day War. It was at that time that he conceived of the idea to open a new place.
“I was young and after what I lived and saw during war, I needed a fresh start. I wanted to start something new, to gather people,” Azat says. “That was the idea and it became a pub because that’s what it’s all about: gathering people, good drinks, music.”
When he returned from the fighting, he converted an empty yard where he used to hang out with his friends into the pub. But in 2020, war once again descended on Nagorno-Karabakh. Azat was injured while on the frontline in October. He returned to Stepanakert and coordinated humanitarian efforts while recovering.
“I have seen three wars and participated in two,” he says. “And I don’t know how many more I will see, in how many I will participate, if I will come back alive or not.”
A rocket that fell near Bardak caused some damage inside the pub. Azat could not walk properly for several months because of the shrapnel in his body. He thought he would never reopen the pub, but he did.
“I thought that I should change my career, maybe become a military man,” Azat says. “But so many people, my friends, customers, would write to me and ask when are you reopening, we need to talk.”
Four months after the war ended, Bardak reopened its doors. It became a different place. At the beginning, there was no music. It slowly came back. People still have drinks, still sing, but now, Bardak is more of a place to share and heal from collective trauma.
“People came, shared their thoughts, their opinions, we invented myths about how tomorrow would be better,” Azat says.
Azat does not like talking about the war for too long. With his serious look, people never know what to expect from him. But he can transition from discussing sober topics to cracking jokes and suddenly start playing the piano.
He is very proud to be Armenian, ready to take up arms to defend his homeland, but at the same time, dreams of traveling the world. Before the war, many Armenians from the diaspora visited Azat, and he likes to share the words he learned from them in French, English, Portuguese or Arabic.
The most impressive thing about Azat is not even his strength, or how much he cares about his family, friends and hometown. It’s actually that he never stops creating. He is now working on a new project, even as Nagorno-Karabakh’s future hangs in the balance.
“After the war, when I saw that people wanted to leave Artsakh, that’s when I started wanting to build something new, and build it quickly, so that locals could see that stuff was still happening here,” he says.
Azat has already started working on his newest project, just like after the 2016 war. He is now creating from scratch “Maran,” a future bar with local and imported wines.
“If someone is building something, then there is hope to stay,” Azat says.
I am now editing a short documentary I shot about Azat and his pub for Miaseen Inc. Stay tuned.
- Astrig
To read: The Fight, a moving photo diary and essay by photojournalist Vaghinak Ghazaryan, documenting the story of a mother whose son was buried alive.
To listen: Hekiat, a children’s story podcast in Armenian, inspired by a grandmother’s desire to connect with her grandchildren in her mother tongue.
To watch: The Soviet Club Welcomes its Visitors Back to the USSR, a video about one man’s quest to preserve a bygone era through his social club in Yerevan. Stepping inside the charming arcade and restaurant is like walking through a time capsule.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
Questions? Story ideas? An urge to say barev/parev? You can send us a secure email at namaknews@protonmail.com.