Epress.am News from Armenia
In 2011, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh saw 11,362 foreign visitors, more than 3,000 over the previous year, according to the consular services of the de-facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Karabakh authorities report that in 2011, citizens from Russia, the US, France, Iran, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Gabonese Republic, Kenyan, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, Cuba, Singapore, China, Indonesia, and other countries visited the de-facto republic.
The fact that the region is often included in lists of most attractive tourist destinations also testifies to the ever-increasing interest foreigners have toward Nagorno-Karabakh.
Visiting the region, tourists often visit the 13th century Gandzasar Monastery, the 4th century Amaras Monastery, and 4th century Dadivank Monastery, as well as the excavation site of the ancient Armenian city of Tigranakert (1st century BC), the ancient Azokh cave, ancient Armenian castles and so on.
All this is reflected in the film “Karabakh: A Hidden Treasure”.
Note, the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan after a bloody war in the 1990s and is populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. Today it exists as a de-facto independent state under an uneasy ceasefire, and OSCE-brokered efforts to resolve its status have so far been unsuccessful. Despite a ceasefire agreement in place since 1994, there have been regular skirmishes along the “line of contact” patrolled by Karabakh and Azerbaijan forces.