Make a Generous Gesture!

The political passions surrounding the participation or non-participation of Heinrich Mkhitaryan in the Europa League final in Baku seem to have pushed the football game of such a level, first held in Azerbaijan, into the background.

It seems that the Azerbaijani side has concentrated all its efforts on repelling the attacks that in Baku there are no conditions for Mkhitaryan to participate in the game.

Despite all the statements and these guarantees, the Armenian footballer did not dare to come, and Baku did not go further than to accuse the Armenian side of deliberate provocation.

But let's imagine a different situation and a different course of events. Official Baku makes the following statement:

1) Any person with an Armenian surname who has a ticket to the Europa League finals can safely come to Baku, in a simplified procedure to obtain a visa, if required by the citizenship of his country.

2) A special team will be formed to meet and accommodate these fans, and promptly address the issues of the meeting, accommodation and security of these people.

3) Azerbaijani authorities separately invite to the match the famous commentator of the Match TV channel, the former Baku citizen Nobel Arustamyan to cover the match, as well as the former Baku citizen, a member of the Neftchi football team Eduard Markarov.

4) For these fans a special sector in the stadium will be allocated and protection will be provided.

Such an announcement may seem like an adventure to many people, and many people will call it a "betrayal of national interests." But let us remember the episode of the European Games in Baku, when a Ukrainian athlete of Armenian origin received a medal from the hands of President Ilham Aliyev. The buzz and whistling drowned out everything around, but it was enough for the President to raise his hand and make a gesture as everyone calmed down. And what was important was not that the hall had subsided, but the gesture itself, which demonstrated the dignity of the owners.

It may be objected that Mkhitaryan did not want to come anyway, and one should not be deceived by Armenians who use sport for political and ideological purposes.

But if we wage an ideological struggle, then we must wage it boldly, with pre-emption, and not just defend or justify ourselves.

While there is time, we should make a generous gesture, show the dignity of the host side and keep the ball on the side of the opponent. -0-