The meeting in the village of Zorakan in Noyemberyan deviated from the usual patterns from the very first minute. The people who had invited us to their place did not start complaining about their daily life or social conditions.

Their only concern and question was directed towards the future: what should we do to live in a strong country? This weakness is no longer acceptable to us. This was noted by Strong Armenia party board member Narek Karapetyan, who heads this political force’s electoral list for the parliamentary election on June 7, who was in Zorakan with the fellow party members as part of their election campaign.

Karapetyan continued as follows: “The villagers were setting a condition: not to disappoint [them]. It was surprising and impressive: not a word about personal problems, only the vision of strengthening the country. Soon everything became clear when we realized who our interlocutors were.

The inhabitants of the legendary village of Chardakhlu [in present-day Azerbaijan] have resettled in Zorakan. The spirit of the birthplace of [Armenian] marshals and heroes lives here today. It is a village of blue-eyed, strong people. Economic picture: Zorakan is famous for its exceptionally tasty peaches.

• Land: The village has about 700 hectares of land, but only 100 hectares are cultivated.

• Sales: Despite the high-quality harvest, there is no organized procurement in the village. Residents are forced to sell the harvest only on the side of the interstate road.”