The village of Halidzor in the Goris district might turn into a ghost town.

It all depends if gold is discovered in a nearby mine. Residents are nervously awaiting the results of exploratory testing that was conducted last year.

If the yellow ore is found to exist in quantities profitable for commercial exploitation, mining companies will move in and transform life in the village forever.

"One day, in the evening, some guys came to our house and said they were surveying the land for a road to bring in drilling equipment. They didn’t show us any papers or permits. They said they would be back if the results are positive, says village Mayor Samvel Asryan, adding that it’s up to the national government to decide whether to permit the operation of a mine in the area.

The mine in question is located just one kilometer from the village and a scant 1.5 kilometers from the Tatev Monastery. Most of the village’s fields. The main income source, are located on the future mine site.

"All our produce is ecologically clean and we have high hopes for developing tourism in the area. True, local villagers haven’t really benefitted from the Tatev cable car but I have high hopes for the future," says Mayor Asryan, adding that they want to construct a market near the cable car where villagers can sell their produce to visitors and others.

"If they go ahead with the mine, no tourist will want to come here. God forbid they decide to build a factory here. It would be a catastrophe for the village," Asryan argues.

Village resident Mashik Zakaryan has an interesting take on the matter.

"Back in the Soviet period, they carried out tests here. They said that there was no gold to be mined. The Armenians said this in order not to share the gold with the Russians. They left it for future generations. The question is will Armenia now go ahead and mine it or not."

Halidzor residents are angry that no one has come and asked what they think should be done.

"Who has come and asked us what we want? They’ll mine whether we like it or not. And what if they expose uranium? It would be bad for us but who cares? OK, so they open a mine and we go and work and get paid. But what if we’re all sick as a result?" argues Artavazd Arakelyan.

Whenever any work is carried out at the mine, Tamara Haroutyunyan is the first to know. Her house is close by and she sees everything.

"During the Soviet years when they can and blasted to build a road, the walls of our house cracked and the windows broke. They compensated us for the damage. But no one knows what’s going on now and who is doing what. All I know is that two villagers went to work as diggers and were paid peanuts. They quit and have moved to Russia," says Mrs. Haroutyunyan.

Tamara is concerned that the mine will create more problems that will outweigh any possible employment and would ultimately alter their rural way of life forever.

Roubik Sargsyan agrees and says that most would leave the village if a mining operation is launched.

Paytzar Haroutyunyan is one of the elders of the village. She says that she’s often heard the stories about Halidzor’s gold.

"They have said that gold exists. I’ve heard the stories but never have seen any. I don’t know about any poisons but a mine will cause damage. They say the village will change. I don’t know," the senior says in the local Goris dialect.

Arekla Local Trading is the company tat has received an exploratory license. Results of the tests have yet to be announced.

In the meantime, the fate of Halidzor rests in the balance.

Residents face an uncertain future, especially since no one has bothered to tell them what exactly is going on in their backyard.