Bagratashen is unlike every other village in Armenia in terms of its everyday problems, significance also, its population. It has its 'own' police force, customs office, and border guards. Even the Belgian wing of the international medical organization, Medicines sans Frontiers (MSF), has an office there. MSF and the police are necessary for the population and there is the need for the customs office and border guards because the village borders Georgia and this is the main Armenia - Georgia transit root. However, the greatest charm of Bagratashen is the Sadakhlo market and it is this that is precisely the main reason why there are many important bodies here.

The market is on the other side of the border in-between the Azeri populated Georgian village of Sadakhlo and the Debed River. Here the Azeris mainly sell food, clothes and goods for general use. The Armenians are mainly buying and only cross the border to engage in trade if have an exit permit stamp or if they give 500- 1000 drams to the Georgian border guards. On the other side of the border in Bagratashen, the market is smaller and the prices are higher. The busiest time of the year in the market is New Years Eve. The Armenian, Georgian and Azeri The market at Bagratashen has been operating since 1993 and right from the beginning it attracted the unemployed in Armenia and Georgia with its 'opportunities.' People come here to trade or to engage in different types of work whether it be in the form of paid work for someone else or their own business to survive. 'Trade relations' are conducted mainly between the Georgian Azeris and Armenians.

The Azeris are selling, the Armenians are buying and the Georgians, as 'landlords,' are 'controlling.' People say that the Armenians and Azeris here cooperate with each other better than Armenians and Georgians or Azeris and Georgians do. Ethnic Azeri Georgian citizens don't feel restrained in Bagratashen and there is no national conflict between them and the Armenians. Here, the unwritten rules of personal and business interests prevail. In the restaurant, "Northern Gates," near the customs office, two youngsters, one Armenian and the other Azeri, are talking about their mutual business. When we asked both of them if it is difficult for them to communicate given the cold relationship between the two nations, the Armenian answered, "It wasn't mine or his fight. None of us wanted or will ever want to shed each other's blood. See, now I have invited my Azeri friend here to talk and you can be sure that at this moment in Sadakhlo an Azeri is treating an Armenian hospitably. This is the reality. We don't want war." "The war is the job of the officials," answered the Azeri. "We think about trade and about work. If the Georgian border guards or customs officials don't interfere we'll work better and more peacefully." Restricted trade According to the figures of the Customs State Committee of the Republic of Armenia around 5,500 people visit the market every week and especially on Tuesdays to buy goods of general use including goods which require a customs stamp from the Sadakhlo market and import to Armenia via Bagratashen.

In 2004 of the total amount of imports, that amounted to 647 billion 394 million drams, coming into the Republic of Armenia approximately 30% came via the Bagratashen customs point with a total value of 188 billion 329 million drams. Goods sold in the Sadakhlo market mainly comes from Turkey , China and some other CIS republics. Armenians sell only agricultural products, confectionary and coffee here. However, it is only permissible to bring 50kg of goods from Sadakhlo and the value of the goods at customs should not exceed $300 otherwise a 10% customs duty -- and for some goods 20% -- value added tax is levied. Here people say that they are not allowed to bring in large quantities of certain goods if a monopoly exists in Armenia .

"For example, sugar is imported into Armenia by Lfik Samo, isn't it?" Here we can't trade in sugar because they'll say that it's 'contraband'", says Aram who brings citric fruits from Sadakhlo to Yerevan . We heard the expression 'contraband goods' many times from many people. Wheat flour, walnuts, confectionary and other goods are considered 'contraband.' The traders provide their own explanation of that phrase. "It means that someone with money has imported that type of good from somewhere and they don't allow us to do the same business so they can sell it instead. They don't allow us to import large quantities of these particular types of goods and if we do, they'll make sure that we can't sell anything," Aram said.

People say that on New Years Eve a large amount of walnut was imported by businessmen Gagik Tsarukyan and Hrant Vardanyan so even if we bring 10 kilos into the country they won't allow us to sell it. It's a monopoly." Border games Of course, at the Bagratashen customs point they didn't share this opinion. "There is nothing like that," said the Head of Customs Samvel Safaryan. "And if you wanted an interview you should have permission." this is all that he said and on the other side of the border, we were accepted with the same 'hospitality' by the Georgian border guard who didn't allow us to pass to the other side of the bridge -- and more: "We knew that you were coming here and we were instructed that you shouldn't cross the border.

Even if Sahakashvili comes with Kocharyan you can't cross the border." But after long negotiations, the young border guard allowed us to cross as long as we were escorted without taking into consideration that I didn't have an exit permit stamp in my passport. By the way, an exit stamp is obligatory by law to cross the border. However, the desire to earn money doesn't obey any law, especially here. So, Armenian, Georgian and Azeri customs officials, border guards and traders here know very well their 'rights and obligations' and collaborate well. And, in general, if you have the 'right' approach to things both in Bagratashen and Sadakhlo the word 'no' does not exist. A special type of Customs official The appearance of customs officials and border guards in Bagratashen is unlike that of the locals. It is quite different. They are chubby, well-groomed and have an 'imposing' appearance. "Only a few people from our village work there but only as guards or in some other low position like that. All the workers are from Yerevan ," confirmed the Head of the village, Hovsep Ogumtsyan, while the villagers explain this fact in this way: "They brought their people and gave them positions so that they can earn good money and share it between themselves."

The Bagratashen market has been controlled by the Customs Committee since October 2001 but before it belonged to the head of the village's office. Doesn't this fact allow the opportunity for corruption to manifest itself among customs officials? "Of course not," replied Suren Fahradyan Head of the Custom Duty Regulation agency of Customs Committee, the customs officials only monitor the operation of the market. The road leading from the customs point to the village is dilapidated. "Our villagers only have a few cars. This road is like this because of the heavy vehicles coming and going to the market," the Head of the village complains. "Profit from the market goes to customs but no one thinks of repairing the two kilometres of road." In Bagratashen and Yerevan people say that in reality, the market is under the control of the Head of the Customs State Committee, Armen Avetisan and is one of his sources of money. Maybe that is the reason why it was taken away from the jurisdiction of the village and placed under the control of the Customs State Committee. Bagratashen and Sadakhlo are different in terms of every day life not simply because Armenians live in one village and Azeris in the other but because in Sadakhlo, life is richer. "Go to Sadakhlo," one inhabitant of Bagratashen says. "Everyone has satellite aerials and cars. Their side is richer and their women won't work for 1000 drams a day in the shops but ours have no choice but to go and work for their men to earn money for bread. They don't allow us to do more. About two years ago it was easier but since then, people living in Sadakhlo have gotten richer. For Armenians it is vice-versa." In this area incidents between the three neighbouring nations happen but not on national grounds. Instead, they happen purely because of business and trade interests. Armenians and Azeris complain about the Georgians because they are the hosts and Armenians always have quarrels with one another. There are lots of newcomers and that's why Bagratashen has its own police force. On the Armenian side of the Customs point not everything is registered 'smoothly.' For example, as funny as it sounds, the Bagratashen Customs Committee registered 50 violations of customs regulations according to official figures, three of which were registered as smuggling.

As a result, 36.6 million drams in fines was paid. Armenian Customs officials blame the cases of smuggling on porters who the main freight take to parts and bring part by part from Sadakhlo to Bagratashen. At the same time porters assure us that the main part of their money they give to customs officials, which means that customs officials and porters collaborate in smuggling as a result, porters get only money for everyday bread. In this respect Mr. Fahradyan again disagrees with us. "If you have concrete cases we'll take action but there is nothing like that." However, everyone knows that this is the case but none will dare to prove the extent of smuggling and how it is done in the border region. Naturally, officials assure us that the Georgian and Armenian Customs officials work every day to prevent the smuggling of goods by other routes. Armenian and Azeri traders try their best to finish everything without paying state taxes from my pocket to your pocket and from our pocket to the pocket of those in control. There are less headaches like this.

Armine Avetyan
«168 Hours» Newspaper- Caucasus Journalists Network