NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

This is a photo of Albert and Suren. In 2019, when they entered the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, got acquainted, and became close friends during a winter camp organized by the Student Council, they could not even imagine that their friendship would soon become stronger and more valuable.

Albert Hovhannisyan, a student of the Faculty of Architecture, and Suren Sahakyan, a student of the Faculty of Management and Technology, both left for Hadrut for compulsory military service at the same time. The friends were destined to go through the hardest and most painful path of their lives together. For people who were soldiers for only a few months, the war was like a nightmare, only without an awakening – sudden, horrific, veiled in darkness. But they had to wake up, sober up and overcome it with honor. Albert confesses that the fear of dying was spinning in his head the first few days. But he says “I was not afraid for myself; I was rather thinking about my family.”

The friends crossed the dusty and fire-fenced road inseparably. Hadrut, Fizuli, Martuni, Shushi; “It was a battle of life and death in Shushi,” the friends are telling, Suren from Artsakh, and Albert, who came on a vacation as an encouragement, sitting next to us. The most horrible was in Shushi, but the besieged friends could not surrender, they had promised to survive…

“Are you Armenians? Step forward, are you Armenians?”, the boys hear as they are trying to get out of the chasm relying on their own strength. They approach, thinking that those who call them are Armenians, but it turns out that they are not. “We approached and the shooting started. Although they were many, we scared them and made them run away. When it was just two of them left, they made a sign of a ceasefire. Then the negotiations started.” To our surprise at how it was possible to negotiate with the enemy, Albert and Suren smiled. They also were surprised when they came to a mutual agreement and came out of the blockade safe and sound.

Is the friendship that has seen life and war stronger? “I would say it’s for life.”