On September 19, “Protection of ecological historical environment of Armenia” initiative group arrived on a 3-day visit at the Khosrov Reserve and witnessed a nightmarish picture of the reserve and monuments, the head of the group Vahagn Piliposyan told the reporters on Thursday.

According to him, during the 3-day expedition at the reserve the group members visited Havuts Tar and Aghjots monasteries and witnessed terrible scene.

“The scene of Havuts Tar was awful. Two months ago we cleaned the area, but found out people have been barbecuing and littering. We saw empty bottles and dirty dishes on the site,” he said.

The group also visited Kaqavaberd fortress and to great surprise of all the group members, noticed bezoar goats in the gorge. “We did not expect that any goats have survived at the reserve, but a few minutes later shots were heard. It’s unlikely that they were bird hunters as Kaqavaberd is the only place, where there are bezoar goats,” Piliposyan said.

In her turn, the ecologist Mariam Sukhudyan raised the issue of a construction of restaurant complex on the 200 hectare area of the reserve. “It is like a brothel. The building is rented to some company for 60 year. We informed the Armenian Government of it. If the Government turns deaf ear to the issue, we will apply to the international agencies, which provide financial assistance to the same government for the preservation of cultural heritage sites in the country, Sukhudyan noted.

The volunteers have been included in the black list of those abusing Khosrov Reserve, Sukhudyan concluded.