- So someday, your child will watch this video I think. What would you say to them
about now, about right now that they should know about your land, about your life?
- My boy you mean? - Yes. - Maybe I will say (to) him I was a lot of dreaming about you.
Because I don't know why but I was thinking that it will be very
difficult to create a family, to protect because besides our families we
are protecting our lands. And you know, we, Artsakhian people, we (are used to having) not
one boy. Two boys. Three boys. Because automatically we are thinking that we
must lose one boy because of the war.
So if you've seen our last video, you probably understand a bit more of the
history of Artsakh. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend go watching it
first because it's going to give a lot of the background information that will
make this interview makes sense. But we are staying in a guest house here in
Shushi. It's a wonderful place. Anthony Bourdain was here just a few months ago. - Yes, yes, a few
months ago. - So following in some very cool footsteps. - In this kitchen.
- In this kitchen no less. And we are sitting down to an interview to talk
about what I view is abnormal and normal at the exact same time. It is
living in a war zone that has been going on for 30 years. But at the same time
if you look outside, if you look at this house, it couldn't feel more safe.
It couldn't feel more normal. So to be here and see that normalcy, but at the same
time know that you have shrapnel in your leg. From the war, right? You're 22 years old.
- Piece of iron. - I don't. That to me, - I don't wish you - I prefer not to as well. But to me that's really really
fascinating because it's not my experience at all, but it is an
experience. And I think to truly understand this land, to truly understand
why this is what it is, you have to talk with with someone from here. So we have
and I hope you enjoy it. This is Rare Earth.
- Who are you and what do you do? - My name is Samvel, Samvel Saryan, my surname.
I was born in 1995, just after the war.
War, I mean Artsakh between Azerbaijan. Because we have territory problem with them.
So I... after school I went to university. Now I'm a lawyer but after the first course I
went, I joined the army. I was serving in the Martakert region
on the border two years, So now I'm working in foreign ministry of Artsakh
Republic and have created a family just two months ago.
- You work in a foreign ministry of a country that no country recognizes. What does this look like?
- We feel the same, the normal, the same normal country like
every country. But of course we understand that we have a little, not a
little, a big problem with recognition. And with aggression of Azerbaijani side
because that is main reason that maybe some countries don't recognize, are
not recognizing till now our state.
- You consider yourself a soldier? - Yes. Everyone is a soldier in Artsakh.
Yes, we have 150,000 soldiers. It's our population, it's the number of our population.
Because even in first war in 1992 there were a lot of women who
took part in the war. And we have heroes also, Artsakhian heroes who are women.
- What is more important to the state? You being a soldier or you being in the foreign ministry?
- I think being Artsakhian, yes. But and also
being a soldier and working the foreign minister. It is very normal. - It is all equal?
- Yes, equal, yes, yes, yes. - So you need to be all things. How can you be all things? That's difficult.
- We do it, we do. It's very hard but we do it. That's why we are still a state.
- So you were born here and raised here. Your father made a choice to put you in danger.
Does that bother you? - We protect our families. It is like duty,
it is like every Artsakhian, they burn, from childhood, they are used to (hearing) that
we must protect our country. So that it is not like something like amazing, it is
not surprising for us. So when he chose to stay here and I was born, it was
it was a very normal thing.
You know, it's coming from our parents, our grandparents, from their stories,
from their feelings, what they feel, what they give us when we are growing.
And what they (tell) us about Artsakh. And mostly I am going on the feelings that we feel.
And besides, history. Because in history exactly there is the very big fact
that it is our land. So in 2016 when I was in university
like a very normal day and we were having exams. And the director came
and said that you must go home without panic because the war has began and the
aggression from the Azeri side has began from all over the border. They were shooting
and using also huge artillery systems. And with my four friends we
decided not to go home but to go to the border, to run away to the border.
And I didn't (tell) my parents that I am going to the border. So it was the second of April and we went to the border.
We of course took part (with those) forces.
And on the 3rd April, it was at night, maybe 2 a.m., 2 o'clock, I had fragment injury on my leg.
15 meters, I say it approximately again, 15 meters near me exploded a bomb.
- An Azerbaijani bomb? - An Azerbaijani bomb, yes.
And I (got) one little piece of iron in my leg. And I came back, they took me to hospital in
Stepanakert and after nine days of ambulatory care I
went to the bottle again till June 15. - So to clarify, you went on April 2nd to
the border, and on April 3rd they bomb you. And you got a piece of bomb in your leg,
you went to the hospital for nine days, and you went back to the border? - Back, back to the border.
- Immediately? - Yes, immediately, without even coming home.
- How did you feel? - It was amazing, an amazing thing because you know
from childhood we were watching TV like Terminator, I don't
know, some forces. They were shooting and it was the real life. I don't know one people
who can say that I'm not afraid because you must be afraid. If you are not
afraid, you are a little crazy, maybe. Yes, you must be a little afraid but not run away.
You must stay in your position and (fight) for your country. - What stops you from running away? Internally?
- Internally? No, no, no, no. I stopped my feelings that I can lose my family, I can
lose them if there are some people like me who can run away, there will be nobody on the border
and they can easily take our country. - So it's national. - It's national, yes.
It's coming from our mentality, I don't know maybe it's coming from our inside.
After hospital, I went to another district, another area, yes.
- Did they (your friends) know you were okay? - Yes, yes. We were communicating by phone. - Okay. So it wasn't completely disconnected.
- No, no, no. It was easy to communicate. - What did they say to you?
- They said, I said to them because one kept me like this when that bomb exploded and he
got just married one week, only one week before. And when I called him, when they
called me, I said to him why did you do it, because you have created your
family one week ago only but I have nothing to lose.
So why did you do it, but he said that it came from the air, I don't know
maybe God said that to him, and you're my friend. You are, you know all
Armenians, all Arstakhian, mainly in Artsakh we feel like this country is
a little family for us. And everyone feels like everyone is his
brother or sister, I don't know.
- Do you think about defending yourself? - Not myself. My family, and from my
family to another's family. Another Artsakhian family is the whole Artsakh, the
whole country, the whole Armenia, (Greater) Armenia. So when for example I went to
join the army and I was serving on the border, I was thinking only
about one thing that behind me is waiting for me my mother, my father, my sister
and all Artsakhian people whom I don't know but they're Armenians and
there is a very huge connection between us even if we don't recognize each other.
So there is no something amazing thing. We are doing our best to protect our
country that belongs to us from very very ancient times.
If it will be necessary, I will give my life. Like when I went in April
I was dreaming, I was thinking about two things. I will be back, create a
family, (or) I will die and give a chance to another to create a family. Only that.
So it is coming from my our blood, our soul.
In war, every war has its rules. I used to say it everywhere that there are some
rules that you can do it during war, during killing even people, like every
country that are having fightings, yes, and so on.
But the Azeris, I think they don't follow the rules. They not only kill, they cut heads, they
cut nose, ears, I don't know, and so on. And the same it was in April.
- Why? - Unfortunately. I don't know. Maybe it is coming from their very old aggression, maybe from that.
They put one video on YouTube and Facebook
that a teacher is asking Azerbaijani little children, one or two class
maybe, and who are your enemies? They say that Armenians. What you will do with
them? They say that, 7 years old child says that I want to kill, to separate
the bodies. It is something amazing and something very ugly.
But we did the same, the same video in our schools. We say uh, we ask our children what
you will do with them. And they only say my duty is to protect our land, our land.
And only that, not aggression. Not aggression, not aggression.
- Earlier you said that maybe your friend felt God when he protected you. Obviously,
Azerbaijani are Islam. Is this a holy war? Is that why you fight; for God or for land?
- No, for land, for land. We have our religion, we are Christian people and the
first nation who accepted Christianity (as a) state. But it is not a war for God, it is not.
It is a war first of all for our families. And every family
creates a state. Our native land which is coming from
very old, very very old times, very old centuries. And the religion
is only uniting us. I mean not like fanaticism, it is not fanaticism.
- You're a new father, soon. - Yes, we are waiting for a child. The child is coming.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
- If your child is a boy, do you hope that he defends Artsakh?
- Of course, of course. Because it's my genetics. If my son is mine (laughter)
I joke, there is no (question), no. I mean they feel it without me, without my saying that you
must protect. You know it's coming genetically. And if there will be war, I will go
I will let you and will go. I will leave you. My family, my parents, you.
Even you. Even if you are not born yet. But I will do it and I will hope that you will
continue my work, because my father; he's a little serious and not serious. One time
he said that, it was in April also. He said that why haven't you married till now?
Why is there no child? Because he was thinking that maybe he can lose me
but he can feel me in my boy.
So I am now very proud that we are waiting for a child. It doesn't matter a boy or girl,
because both will fight for our Artsakh if there will be a very big necessity.
So I would like to say him to continue my work, continue the work of all of our people
who only want peace, only to live without any aggression, to
have a lot of friends from abroad to communicate, to speak, to have friends, to
have guests, to show our Artsakh, our land,
our nature, our mountains. And simple life, normal life.
- It's very fascinating. And I guess I'm very close to done but I have one more question. What would you say to an Azeri?
- To an Azeri? Yes, I will say that we want only peace and I would like to
change their mind. If I will have a chance, I would like to change their mind.
Because if Azeri, they will come, for example like tourists who come here to
see Artsakh, they will never feel aggression from us.
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