The Soccer Team of Artsakh Has No Opponents

David Keyton, from the Associated Press, reports about the soccer team of the Republic of Artsakh, which practices five days a week on an artificial field, the Stepanakert Republican Stadium, near the center of the capital, but has no one to play against.

Defender Aram Kostandyan said that “UEFA doesn’t let us participate anywhere,” while wishing that he could inspire the younger generation of players and show them “why they are playing football.”

Nagorno-Karabakh’s a Happy Breakaway Republic, But Its War Goes On

Anna Nemtsova

At sunset flocks of swallows race through the pink sky over the central square of Stepanakert, a city once bombed and largely destroyed in a the post-Soviet war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the 21 years since the heavy fighting ended, there is still occasional shooting around the frontier with Azerbaijan, but this capital of the self-proclaimed state — this early “breakaway republic” — of Nagorno-Karabakh is peaceful.

Superficially, it resembles other quasi-nations dotting the map of the former Soviet Union: Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Transnistria and more recently the embattled self-proclaimed states of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. But where those have depended mainly on Russian backing, and critics would argue they are Russian creations, Nagorno-Karabakh has found other sponsors.

Amenazados

José Arbo (9), Sergio Nahabetian (10), Marcelo Cantelmi (133), Eduardo Eurnekian (134), Jorge Murekian (135), Rosita Youssefian (136). He aquí los nombres y el orden de los ciudadanos argentinos considerados "personas no gratas" por el gobierno de Azerbaiyán, en un listado oficial dado a conocer hace unos días por la cancillería de ese país.

Visiting Nagorno Karabagh – Easier Than You Might Think

Daniel Hamilton

I’m passionate about Nagorno Karabagh – or Artsakh, as the locals call it – and I’m incredibly keen for more people to see this beautiful, inspiring and incredibly moving part of the world.

Do you really want to visit Nagorno Karabagh?

Going to Nagorno Karabagh is not a small undertaking.

If you’re travelling from London, you will have to factor costs of around £400 for a return flight to the Armenian capital Yerevan, £50 for the transportation from Yerevan to Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert and hotel accommodation in both cities.  While the cost of food and travel inside Nagorno Karabagh is cheap, your flights and accommodation costs are likely to set you back at least £600 before you’ve even set foot in the region.