In front of the high walls of the recruiting center of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, young and old wait, a bag in their hand.
Accompanied by their families, they want to go and fight the Azerbaijani army on the Nagorny Karabakh front.
“
I came as a volunteer to fight for our country.
Age is not a criterion, everyone must unite because our enemy has mercenaries and has recruited an army,
”says Karen Nazarian, 44, who fought in the special forces in the 1990s during a period of time. first war for the control of this separatist region.
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In front of the gate, some say goodbye by hugging them to their relatives and friends.
Others wait with military gear in their hands, still others check their documents.
This is the case of Hamlet Hovsepian, 31, an Armenian sports wrestler from Strasbourg, in eastern France, where he has lived for 17 years.
He didn't say anything to his family.
“
When I heard that (the Azerbaijanis) had attacked, I decided to come,
” he explains, adding that “
many
” Armenians from France made the same choice.
With him, he brought funds raised by the diaspora to participate in the war effort.
Like many Armenians, he considers that the hostilities that began on September 27 are a ploy by Turkey, which supports Azerbaijan in its military adventure in Nagorno Karabakh.
"
We will go to the end, we will not let ourselves be done or let the Turks carry out a second genocide,
" he says, saying he is ready to do anything to fight.
“
I hope they will take me.
I know it's going to be difficult because I didn't do the army, but I'm even ready to sweep the ground to help our soldiers there
", adds Hamlet:"
I will beg them to take me
".
We are a small nation and we have no choice but to win, that's why everyone must fight
An Armenian officer
"Fear of no one"
The fighting between Armenian forces and the Azerbaijani army has increased in intensity in recent days, marked in particular by the bombing of the capital of the separatist region, Stepanakert.
Partial reports show 286 dead and neither side seems to have taken a decisive advantage.
"
It's war there, we are still fighting
," said Andranik Ghaladjian, a 47-year-old officer from a famous Armenian military unit, who returned from the front in the night.
“
We are a small nation and we have no choice but to win, which is why everyone has to fight,
” he explains.
"
Even now we have young people coming to get involved
."
The officer is certain of it: in Stepanakert, ravaged by the bombardments, "
even if they destroy all the buildings, they will not break our determination
".
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In Goris, an Armenian town located near the border with Nagorno-Karabakh, soldiers await the departure of their convoy, sharing laughter and cigarettes, already armed and in combat uniform.
In one of the buses, a priest pronounces a prayer, crucifix in hand, and blesses the soldiers seated in the seats.
On their way to the front, they sing patriotic songs and slogans while posing for photos, smiling and raising fists.
“
When the army called me, I was there six minutes later.
And there, I am on the way to go protect my homeland
”, declares Artour, reserve lieutenant, a Kalashnikov in hand.
In Yerevan, another recruit, Karen Nazarian, is even more adamant: “
We are fearless.
We are not afraid of Turkey.
We are not afraid of anyone in this world
”.