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The village of Nor Erkej in Karvachar/Shahumyan region of Artsakh had 33 households with a total population of 140 people. 47 students studied at the local school, taking classes from 14 teachers. Ara Petrosyan, a history teacher of Nor Erkej school, talked to Panorama.am and shared what are now memories as along with others he was forcibly displaced from the native village.

To note, the village will be ceded to Azerbaijan as part of the trilateral statement, signed on November 9.

"The residents of our village had came mostly from Shahumyan region (Artsakh province de facto occupied by Azerbaijan) and  went through the 90s as they were forced again to leave their homes," Petrosyan said, adding the villagers took with them the memorial dedicated to memory of those who had fallen during the first Karabakh war. He informed that the former village mayor has even transferred the grave of his son who had been killed during the April war of 2016.

Our interlocutor said that as a family with many children, they had two apartments and cultivated a land of 3000 sq.m. owned a territory, covering 6000 sq.m, where he planed to launch a business. In his words, his plans will never come to life.

The history teacher informed that he was resettled in Nor Erkej in 2003. They received an apartment soon for having six children. In 2018, his elder son got another apartment, the state price of which was 25 mln AMD.

"The most concerning was that we were not even provided transportation for moving. I moved my things  myself, spending some 300 thousand AMD, 200 thousand of which I had borrowed," Aram said.

The total property loss was two houses, as could take with him only part of what he had. The other part was stolen when he was in Armenia to find a truck for transporting, the rest was left in the village.

"I didn't burn my house, I just couldn't," Aram sighed in despair as he showed the photos of the newly built apartment which is a memory now. 

Aram is mostly concerned about the future, as he and his wife, who worked as a cook in the military base of the village are now unemployed and face financial problems to pay back bank credits. 

"I was told at the bank that if I am a volunteer, I should submit a document from the military commissariat to consider my case. I have been to Artsakh for two months and have been paid for my military service. Our village was near the frontline and we were on combat duty all the time under the threat of the enemy subversive groups that could enter the village any time. Apart from that, I was engaged in works in the rear, transported wood for dugouts at the frontline, food for the servicemen and did whatever I could," said Aram.

In his words, Nor Erkej village had a large cattle population. Every villager was engaged in agricultural worlds, owning some 2000 sq. m of land. Some of the villagers were able to sell their livestock, others moved them to Armenia. 

As to his family, two of his daughters have recently married and stayed in Artsakh, while he with his four other children and wife moved to Armenia and lives in an apartment lacking elementary living conditions. Heating is an urgent problem the family faces ahead of the winter months.

To note, according to the trilateral statement signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on 9 November, the Karvachar district will be handed over to Azerbaijan on November 25. As Aram Petrosyan informed, the region has 15 villages and Karvachar town. The total population of the region was 3,500. One of the 15 villages, Aknaberd, will not be ceded to Azerbaijan as it was previously part of Martakert region and will remain under Armenian control.