... A LITTLE OF AZOKH AND ITS INHABITANTS

 The village, with the historical name Azokh, was daydreaming under the sun ... We arrived at afternoon, the village administration was closed, there was no need for a long search for the village head, we asked the first lady we happened, she said he would be at the events hall.

We found Arayik Arzumanyan, the head of Azokh community, in a builder's outfit, helping the builders fill the newly installed window holes. He was elected three months ago, and the community has as much work as possible and they need to be done as long as the weather is favorable. Azokh has 750 inhabitants in 180 households. The mayor knows his village and the villagers well, and the villagers know Arayik well and trust him as their leader. We learned from Arzumanyan that the streets of the village were paved, two construction groups were working, and the collapsed walls were being repaired. The villagers are zealous in making the village look better. Who wouldn't want to live in a beautiful, well-maintained environment…? And they not only want but also act; they set the stone in the hope for tomorrow. The old windows of the events hall are replaced by new windows to celebrate birthdays, baptisms, weddings and engagements … and the village mayor is full of faith and infects us with his optimism. In general, there is activity in the village, there is a flow of tourists to Azokh Cave, and there is no shortage of visitors to the newly opened museum. The village administration and the club are old, in a state of disrepair; the kindergarten, with some disadvantages, is new, and the school is typical and newly built, with excellent conditions, where 132 students receive education and upbringing. The village health post, though not newly built, meets the minimum needs of the population. This is where first aid is usually provided. They used to give births at the medical center, but now they are not allowed, they go either to Hadrut or to Stepanakert. Perhaps most fortunate is the tendency of the village population to grow. The support of the state is also considerable, as the demand of the population is provided with building materials: wood, tile, various building materials, so the farmer is not alone with his worries. To my question what is the problem facing the farmer today, the head of the community says that they often apply for building materials. The fact itself is good. The peasant builds a house, sows, so he will live, the village will grow and our soldier's back will be firm. The issue of drinking water in the village is radically resolved, they have 24-hour water supply, and the issue of irrigation water is also resolved. Most of the villagers have wheat fields, some of them mainly men, are working for Dizakshin. More than a dozen work in the vineyards of Togh. Although the pastures are not infinite, the village is a little lame on this side, but there are also cattle-breeders. There are many free houses in the village whose owners either died, left, or forgot the way to the village forever. Community leadership helps such homes be renovated and inhabited by village youths; there are people living in other countries, calling the mayor, asking them to look after the house or to temporarily resettle it until they return. They also provide new homes for those who wish, the state is consistent in this matter. Those who wish to build a new home are provided with building materials and funds. We assessed the social standard of living of our population as satisfactory and after inspecting the village in depth and breadth, we shared impressions with the head of the community. It was with that optimism that we said good-bye to Azokh and took the road back home; inspired by Arayik Arzumanyan's self-confidence ... The Armenian lived in Azokh for a long time, and continues living as long as the world and its owner exist.