Trip to Yerevan (Part One)

My trip to Yerevan made a lot of noise, both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan.

Unbelievable versions are heard on both sides and sentences are made (it is not entirely clear to whom).

Media in both countries compete in an effort to highlight, evaluate and deliver their verdict, not really understanding what is happening.

For example, one of the Armenian sites reported that Turan, with the consent of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, began work in Armenia (which should mean, opened a representative office!).

Other media were less original, but made a "small" provocation, reporting on a visit to the memorial of the victims of 1915.

But the true performance was in social networks. There is a discussion there that started on the page of one active Armenian blogger, who was outraged by the admission of an Azerbaijani journalist to Yerevan:

Andrei Grigoryan: Are you completely...?

Elena Dadayan: They will soon drink Azer-tea Akhmat or Ahmakh.

Zohrab Isoyan: And what's the problem?

Norayr Margaryan: Vladimir, is it good or bad? What do you think?

Zohrab Isoyan: And where is the sign of surrender?

Katerina Tish: Are you sure that he will not deploy espionage there? And that Azerbaijan has the same Armenian correspondent?

Dilbaryan Araik: This is a duck or I do not understand something.

Elena Dadayan: IT'S GOOSE.

Rudolf Ayriyan: Geese and ducks (in power).

Elina Babayan: Cattle in power.

Norayr Mikayelyan: Who will be responsible for all this?!!

Katerina Tish: Norayr Mikayelyan will answer our humane government, which wants to show the world that we have a democracy, and in fact we have anarchy

Dilbaryan Araik: Who is now Turk - Serjik, Robik or Nikolik??

Garegin Grigoryan: We must act; tomorrow will be too late...

Armine Martirosyan: Damn, they have completely stupefied.

Katerina Tish to Armine Martirosyan: It is no longer stupefied, this is a special program (in Ukraine it was much worse).

If a person comes to power with an ultimatum "either I or no one," it is called terrorism. The power is in the hands of terrorists. When compared with former leaders, this is the most unpredictable power.

Tatul Tigranyan: Armenians - citizens of the Russian Federation -are even not allowed to visit Baku, but their journalists are working at us, which is interesting.

Katerina Tish: This is a new image of espionage under such a cover, tomorrow this journalist will bring the necessary information to his country.

Emil Osipyan: So they agreed on.

David Bakhshiyan: A talker is a find for a spy!!! To give the enemy information from the inside is a very stupid act.

Karina Sargsyan: Where do people look??? And where do you even see the unity of the nation and patriotism?.. This is a flock of stupefied rams that never need anything..... And this flock of rams is worthy of such a government that is now in power.......

Sofia Sargsyan: Friendship has started?? !! (((((

Those responsible for making such a terrible decision must be tried and imprisoned.

David Bakhshiyan: Some steal in power, others in power surrender the country to enemies! Our country not only does not have diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan, but is at war with it, so how can the Foreign Ministry give accreditation to the media workers of the enemy side? They do not understand that they are potential spies! Those people do not work there exactly, they are not professionals, and they are stupid and incompetent people. The country is surrendered without a fight.

Karen Grigorian: Turks certainly will not understand this, but the world will understand this diplomatic move. But how was it possible to think that the country was surrendered, so do not make hasty conclusions.

Sarkis Ohanesyan: THIS IS NOT A DIPLOMOTIC PROCESS, BUT A DIRECT SALE OF INTEREST. WHEN THE COUNTRY INVITES THE SPECIAL SERVICE OF THE ENEMY, IS IT NAMED DIPLOMATIC PROCESS IN THE WORLD??? THEN AM I A GENERAL, MARSHAL ZHUKOV???)))))))) THIS IS JUST A TRAITOR...

Svetlana Korkotyan to Karen Grigorian: This may still be a provocative move by Azerbaijan. They themselves will kill their own man and blame us, and raise the howl to the whole world...

From the Azerbaijani side, there are less aggressive assessments, but also with elements of "exposing" traitors. Thus, many users and a number of media picked up the message of the Armenian media about visiting the memorial of the victims of 1915.

Replies to this message sound like "confirmation of the betrayal of the opposition, which sells the interests of the nation."

Less aggressive assessments sound like "a visit to bow to the enemy" and "reconciliation with the aggressor."

And one of the media agreed that the Turan editor went to Yerevan to expose the Armenian aggression (!)...

Now let"s talk seriously.

The idea of ​​a journalistic visit to Armenia arose long ago - a year ago. For several months, the issue was resolved with state bodies of Azerbaijan. Negotiations with the Foreign Ministry of Armenia took place for the same period. The first time the trip was to take place in November last year, but was postponed due to the upcoming parliamentary elections in this country.

To the question: "Why is this necessary?" the answer is simple and complex at the same time.

There is no need to explain how important it is to understand the mood in the society of the country with which we are in a military conflict. Perhaps this was the main goal. How to do it?

For Armenia and Armenians, there are a number of issues that play a decisive role. These are the events of 1915, the political role of the Armenian Church, and Karabakh.

There are three questions that were the focus of attention.

I will immediately begin with the topic of 1915, taking into account the publication of Armenian media on this topic and the painful reaction in Baku.

After receiving the accreditation of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, an appeal was sent to the director of the memorial Harutyun Marutyan with a request to be interviewed on the topic of the events of 1915.

Mr. Marutyan invited me to visit the museum, but refused to be interviewed, saying that the museum employee would answer all my questions.

When the visit took place, the museum guide stated that she had no authority to answer questions and would only present exhibits. She briefly replied to the clarifying questions on these or other questions - "I do not know" and "I cannot say."

Moreover, part of the exposure was not allowed to be shot. "These are exhibits from private collections and their owners are against any shooting," said the guide, under the watchful eyes of a security officer who periodically gave her instructions in Armenian.

By the way, it was only during the inspection of the exposition that it became known to me that initially this memorial was called quite differently - Revival. Its opening took place in 1967, and was timed to the day the Soviet power was established in Armenia - November 29.

This is how the "visit to the genocide museum" took place.

The theme of 1915 was present in all interviews with politicians and public figures of Armenia. The conclusion from these conversations is simple: this topic is the main connecting element of this nation. Armenians look at many questions through this prism and explain many of their actions (if not all) with the consequences of these events or the threat of their repetition.

But there is one significant point. Any nation fighting for independence with arms in its hands is proud of the shed blood and does not hide that it fought and sacrificed the lives of its citizens. The Armenians are somewhat different: the Turks simply killed one and a half million innocent victims - women and children.

The question if the Armenians themselves gave reasons for repression, and why the Armenian servicemen turned their weapons against their government and began to help the Russian invaders, provokes an extremely violent and negative reaction.

Also, any role of the Western powers and Russia, which pushed Armenians to the uprising and supplied the rebel detachments with weapons and money, is denied.

To all this only one answer is sounded: the Turks had long planned the extermination of Armenians in order to cleanse Turkey of Christians. Even if the Armenians raised their weapons somewhere, nobody should have been killed.

It was with such thoughts that we left the 1915 memorial.

To be continued