To see Ararat and… What delighted the BelTA photographer in Armenia

One of the best Belarusian photojournalists went to Armenia for five days, and an Armenian one went to Belarus . And here's what came out of it. In just 50 frames to tell about what they saw in another country - such a task was faced by photojournalists of the main news agencies of Armenia and Belarus. How they coped with it is already being assessed by visitors to the photo exhibition at the National Historical Museum of Belarus in MINSK. And we asked Mkhitar Khachatryan and Leonid Shcheglov to share their memories of a business trip.

Mkhitar Khachatryan is a photojournalist for the "Armenpress" news agency. It was he who, in December 1988, was the first to reach the disaster site after the Spitak earthquake and began to document the horrific consequences of the natural disaster. The portrait of a woman with children "Armenian Madonna" created by him was reprinted by many media of the world, the picture was awarded a prestigious award.

Mkhitar photographed our country at the end of May - tulips were still blooming not far from St. Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk. In 1986, this well-known photojournalist in his homeland was already in Belarus - he spent several days in the youth camp "Youth" near Minsk. But this time, Mkhitar notes, everything was completely different: he saw our country as if for the first time.

“She is wonderful,” Mkhitar repeated many times, sharing his impressions of meeting Sineoka. - Returning home, I told everyone that Belarus is very green, clean, well-groomed. Everything is there for a wonderful life. And the people are good, disciplined. Our Armenians often leave for Europe, America, and I wonder: why not to Belarus? This is a wonderful region.

Mkhitar Khachatryan plans to visit us again, because in five days it is impossible to get to know the country, you can only slightly open it for yourself. He saw a lot from the car window, on the way to the filming locations: ancient Polotsk, the castles of Nesvizh and Mir, "Belarusian Notre Dame" in Gervyaty... And such Belarus impressed the Armenian photojournalist.

- You have only plains, we have only mountains. And there are no such large fields in Armenia. I did not find high points in your area from which it would be convenient to shoot a panorama, there is only one plain around - fields, forests, rivers, - he says. - And you also have huge factories, 10 thousand people work there. I had to walk three kilometers across the territory of BELAZ to see the largest dump truck in the world.

Mkhitar Khachatryan recalls with what pleasure he took photos in the Nesvizh Castle, on the Minsk Sea, in the temple, on the streets of the capital:

- I really wanted to shoot a human face so that the eyes could be seen. I went to a church in the center of Minsk. I was a little embarrassed to take pictures, because people could be offended by this - they came here not to be photographed.

It is not known how the heroine of the picture, praying at the icon, reacted or will react, but the employee of the museum where the exhibition is taking place, expressed her wish aloud: "I wish someone would take a picture of me like that!" This is the professionalism of a reporter - to have time to capture the right moment. The fact that Belarus is a multi-confessional and multinational country, Mkhitar also tried to reflect in his works. On one of them you can see how the Armenian Apostolic Church is being built in Minsk - a significant event for the Armenians living in Sineokoy.

Minsk , like other cities of Belarus, was also remembered by our guest for its expanses:

- I have traveled a lot around the world, but I have never seen such a spacious city. In your capital, you can close your eyes, walk down the street and not bother anyone. I especially appreciated it when I returned home. In the center of Yerevan, you have to maneuver between people.

Mkhitar Khachatryan tasted potato pancakes here for the first time, which is not cooked in Armenia, and he really liked their taste. He went to the most famous metropolitan market - Komarovka - for shots, stories about what Belarusians grow and produce. In the covered part, I took a lot of pictures in the MEAT rows and came to the conclusion: they love meat and lard.

Leonid Shcheglov has been working for BelTA for over 20 years. Winner of the "Gold Letter", awarded the medal of Francysk Skaryna. He admitted that Armenia was not among the countries he would like to visit. But after spending five days there, he dreams of returning.

- I recommend to everyone: go to Armenia. What a rich history this country has! Their ancient civilization is amazing - the oldest temples in the world have been preserved there. And what wonderful people! Belarusians are very kind and hospitable people, but the Armenian people, it seems to me, are even more hospitable, - Leonid emphasizes.

“Of course, you won’t see this here,” he begins a long story, listing all the unique places he managed to visit: the Christian temples of Zvartnots and Geghard, the only pagan temple in Armenia - Garni, Mount Ararat, Lake Sevan, Khor Virap Monastery.

- Imagine, in Yerevan +32, and in Sevan - only +18. Moreover, the distance between them is only 70 kilometers. The water in the lake is clean and cold, which is why the unique conditions for the habitat of whitefish - fish from the salmon family. It is there on the spot and fried, it tastes great, - Leonid adds.

As a dear guest, our correspondent was greeted at the enterprise where the Noy cognac is made, they were treated to 140-year-old wine.

- Very sweet, - Leonid Shcheglov gives an assessment and tries to convey in words the pleasant smell that stood in the cellars of the plant, where alcoholic beverages mature in barrels. “We took the elevator down to the cellars, maybe two floors down. These cellars have a special aesthetic, you can see it in the pictures.

The Belarusian photojournalist notes that he really liked the atmosphere on the Republic Square in Yerevan. In the evening it is full of people, locals and tourists listen to songs, sing along, nostalgic. Beautiful both during the day and at night, another attraction of the capital is the Cascade. This is a huge staircase with 572 wide steps. From its top you have a stunning view of the city.

The BELTA photographer considers a picture of people walking through a pedestrian crossing with suitcases, each of which has a letter on it, and together they get the word "suitcase", a great success.

- As soon as I saw them, I immediately remembered the world-famous cover from the Beatles disc, - says Leonid Shcheglov. - I could not even imagine that I would be lucky to catch such a shot. Then he approached them to talk. It turned out that these are puppet theater artists advertising their performance in this way.

Filming the process of making Armenian lavash, our photojournalist sincerely admired the craftswomen who cook this world-famous finest flatbread:

- They spend 12 hours on their knees at a traditional oven in the ground - tonir. It's hot from there, and it's still + 30 outside. Lavash, which they treated me to, brought home to Grodno. My wife tried it and said that she had never eaten anything tastier. Armenian women assured that such bread can be stored for up to two months, without getting stale or spoiled.

At the Yerevan market, Leonid Shcheglov was amazed at the number of vegetables and fruits that are closed in jars. And the saleswoman of sujuk, an analogue of churchkhela, said that the whole family cooks it: one cleans the nuts, the other strings them on a rope, the third boils the juice. Very beautiful and incredibly tasty, our photographer assures.

He recommends not repeating his mistakes and not spending money on bottled water, but drinking from street fountains. It is tasty and cool, and it is not in vain that the locals praise it. According to such sources-pulpulaks, they even conduct tours and tastings. The most famous fountain is located on Republic Square and is called "Seven Springs".

- You will not find such avenues and straight streets as ours, - warns Leonid Shcheglov. - Get ready that from a trip from one part of the city to another, your ears will be pawned, like on an airplane, because everything is in the mountains there.

Our photographer was also surprised by the fact that in Armenia almost every pillar has a nest of storks. We think that this bird is only a symbol of Belarus.

In Armenia, Leonid Shcheglov took more than three thousand shots, but even they, he believes, are very few to show the whole country.

- There are many places where I would like to visit and where to return, - he says and confidently adds that there will definitely be new trips to the beautiful mountainous country.

A stripe of yellow and a stripe of blue are the colors of our country at the beginning of summer, when rape blossoms. This photo became one part of the exhibition poster. On the second, Armenia appeared in the image of the majestic Ararat and vineyards, which fell into the focus of the camera of the already Belarusian photojournalist - Leonid Shcheglov.

The exhibition "Armenia through the eyes of a Belarusian photographer and Belarus through the eyes of an Armenian photographer" was organized on the initiative of the Armenian Embassy in Belarus with the support of the BelTA and Armenpress news agencies, as well as with the assistance of the Belarusian Embassy in Armenia. The event is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Armenia.

The exhibition is open at the National Historical Museum in Minsk until August 15, then it will go to Yerevan.

"The place of power for each of us is home. We carry Belarus in ourselves, you carry Armenia in you. Each of our countries has its own smell, its own style, its own emotions, vibrations. Of course, it was interesting how people who come for the first time to your country, they will see it, what they will remember, what will remain in their souls.The most important thing is that both photographers wanted to return: one - to Belarus, the second - to Armenia.The photographs depict, first of all, people - hospitable Armenians, good-natured Belarusians. Looking at them, it is important to remember and understand that not only politicians, but also ordinary people can do a lot to establish diplomatic relations, for friendship between peoples. I am sure that those who see these photos will fall in love with Belarus and Armenia."

“When I became an ambassador in 2021, God himself ordered to bring this idea with an exhibition to life. Especially on such a date as the anniversary of our diplomatic relations. I am very glad that BelTA and Armenpress warmly supported this idea. Historical ties between Belarus and Armenia There are about five centuries, and this will be the subject of a scientific conference that will be held this year. And the history of relations between the two sovereign states has three decades. I hope that future generations will also celebrate the 300th anniversary of our relationship as sovereign independent prosperous states. It is very important to develop interaction between countries at the level of interpersonal contacts of people. Friendship of peoples, cooperation, mutual recognition, mutual understanding, mutual respect - this is the basis on which cooperation between sovereign states is created."

Svetlana KIRSANOVA

Photos by Mkhitar KHACHATRYAN, Leonid SHCHEGLOV, Pavel ORLOVSKII,

newspaper "7 days".