Seymur Baijan, writer, and Ashot Abgaryan, teacher of history
Days of Azerbaijan, “Mkhitar Sebastaci” Educational complex
Yerevan, December 18, 2007
Days of Azerbaijan, “Mkhitar Sebastaci” Educational complex
Yerevan, December 18, 2007
OUR CONFLICT IS NOT OF INTEREST TO ANYBODY
Interview made
by Artak Vardanyan
Step into the Dialogue 2: Azerbaijan - Armenia - Turkey
Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives
by support British Embassy in Armenia
Step into the Dialogue 2: Azerbaijan - Armenia - Turkey
Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives
by support British Embassy in Armenia
A series of discussions directed at the protection of rights and journalism were held within the “Days of Azerbaijan” in “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex by the initiative of the Caucasus Center of Peace - Making Initiatives from 17th to 21st of December. The results of creative competition held in the school were also announced. The subjects were follows: “An open letter to my contemporary from Azerbaijan”, “Azerbaijan in my imagination”, “Armenia-Azerbaijan: what is our future to be like?” and “Azerbaijan”. Seymur Baijan, one of the guests of the project, consented to give an interview for “Aravot” newspaper.
Almost all the compositions contain the following sentence: “Azerbaijanians, you are our friends,” “Hello, friend”, “I welcome you, my colleague”. How sincere and frank do you think these lines can be?
No sincerity. But the authors of these lines do become frank when conversing with me face to face and exchanging opinions. The main trouble here that hinders us from socializing with each other is the politics which is the main obstacle for it and the century-old enmity we have been feeling for each other. So is the distorted information we receive in respect of each other. The children being the participants of the seminar during our meetings with them admitted that they had previously imagined Azerbaijanians in another way considering them to be impolite and rude people. The same can be said about the views of Azerbaijanians on Armenians.
Similar seminars are generally organized basically in Georgia, sometimes in Armenia, but no seminar has ever been held in Azerbaijan. Why?
Unfortunately, we look at everything in another way. There exist lots of people disposed to nationalism. This matter is quite differently regarded in your country. It looks like people living in Armenia treat and regard the conflict of both countries more quietly. Before I thought that the holding of such seminars was useless, but now I can state for sure that I have quite a different opinion about it. The more meetings are held, the more communications are conducted, the nearer the hour for reconciliation will come.
Quite often the foreigners fail to differ Armenians, Azerbaijanians and Georgians from one another. I am just aware that there are people living in the Caucasus.
As a matter of fact, there can be hardly found a man who is interested in Armenian-Azerbaijanian conflict. Even the one, who knows about it, is indifferent. We ought to be vigilant and watchful and do our utmost to prevent further wars. Although I am sick and tired of this situation, but at times I think why I was born in the Caucasus and not in Denmark.
If you happen to fall in love with an Armenian girl, what would you do?
Once I did fall in love with an Armenian girl. She was a nice and dear person with a snow-white skin, well-shaped. She loved me very much, so did I. But she treated all the matters in a real way. In the end we had to part from each other.
26-12-07
"Aravot"
Almost all the compositions contain the following sentence: “Azerbaijanians, you are our friends,” “Hello, friend”, “I welcome you, my colleague”. How sincere and frank do you think these lines can be?
No sincerity. But the authors of these lines do become frank when conversing with me face to face and exchanging opinions. The main trouble here that hinders us from socializing with each other is the politics which is the main obstacle for it and the century-old enmity we have been feeling for each other. So is the distorted information we receive in respect of each other. The children being the participants of the seminar during our meetings with them admitted that they had previously imagined Azerbaijanians in another way considering them to be impolite and rude people. The same can be said about the views of Azerbaijanians on Armenians.
Similar seminars are generally organized basically in Georgia, sometimes in Armenia, but no seminar has ever been held in Azerbaijan. Why?
Unfortunately, we look at everything in another way. There exist lots of people disposed to nationalism. This matter is quite differently regarded in your country. It looks like people living in Armenia treat and regard the conflict of both countries more quietly. Before I thought that the holding of such seminars was useless, but now I can state for sure that I have quite a different opinion about it. The more meetings are held, the more communications are conducted, the nearer the hour for reconciliation will come.
Quite often the foreigners fail to differ Armenians, Azerbaijanians and Georgians from one another. I am just aware that there are people living in the Caucasus.
As a matter of fact, there can be hardly found a man who is interested in Armenian-Azerbaijanian conflict. Even the one, who knows about it, is indifferent. We ought to be vigilant and watchful and do our utmost to prevent further wars. Although I am sick and tired of this situation, but at times I think why I was born in the Caucasus and not in Denmark.
If you happen to fall in love with an Armenian girl, what would you do?
Once I did fall in love with an Armenian girl. She was a nice and dear person with a snow-white skin, well-shaped. She loved me very much, so did I. But she treated all the matters in a real way. In the end we had to part from each other.
26-12-07
"Aravot"