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Eurovision as the continuation of war by other means

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
To adapt Von Clausewitz.

Fortunately I no longer have to put up with Eurovision, which is a mercy. However, it would appear that I missed out on all sorts of Kremlinology, so to speak, particularly in how it impacted Armenia, Azerbaijan and Artsakh.

Item One, from the Moscow Times:

"...The web site Panarmenian.net reported Monday that television viewers in Baku, Azerbaijan, were unable to see the telephone number to vote for Armenia on their screens. The historic enmity between the two countries was reflected at Eurovision: Azerbaijan gave Armenia zero points, while Armenia gave its neighbour 1 point. Public Armenian Television has submitted a complaint to the organizers, Panarmenian.net reported, but no one could be reached immediately for comment Monday at either country's national television network".

Item Two, from Turkish daily, Hurriyet:

"The 54th Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow on Saturday turned out to be an arena of politics. When the host from Moscow turned the live feed to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, striking pictures were reflected to television screens worldwide. Sirusho, the Armenian pop star who represented the country last year with the song “Qele Qele,” was onscreen to report the Armenian votes when she lifted the card she was holding to cover her face. There was a photograph of "Menk Yenk Mer Sarerı" (We Are Our Own Mountains), in another name, "Dad u Bab" (Grandmother and Grandfather), the gigantic statue that is the symbol of the Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh, on the card. The same picture was also on barcovision".


And here it is. Prettier than the Angel of the North:


Although not a patch on the remarkably lovely Sirouhi 'Sirusho' Haroutunyan herself (qv).

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A career change at *84*

Friday, February 13, 2009
Hats off to the new Armenian Ambassador to Switzerland.

You will have heard of him - Charles Aznavour.

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Keeping sense of proportion, Armenian-style

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
That Armenia and Turkey are inching towards diplomatic relations and so forth is a good thing, but some folk do seem to have a problem with a sense of proportion:

"Dr. Armen Gavakian from the Macquarie University in Sydney, inspired by a similar Turkish initiative apologizing to Armenians, decided last month to launch a campaign to apologize from Turks for murders committed by the Asala organization in the 1980s".

He has since withdrawn his idea after brickbats were flung in his direction, but note that the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) killed fewer than 50 people (NOT that that makes terrorism OK) during its existence.

In contrast, the Hamidian massacres killed anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000, and the genocide killed between 300,000 and 1.5 million Armenians Not really comparing like with like, is it?

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"....to forgive divine" Pt II

Thursday, October 30, 2008
In a fairly extraordinary development, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian reckons "There are no substantial obstacles to the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations".

Unexpectedly, Turkey was an early recogniser of free Armenia in '91, but it all went sour in '93 over the Artsakh war. Apparently Turkey still thinks it shocking that Armenia would like an admission of the Turkish genocides against it, with this something of a problem for Yerevan, and a huge one for the diaspora. My sympathies lie with Armenia on these issues, but a full diplomatic and trading relationship with Turkey would be good for all concerned.

I suspect this is not the Edward Nalbandian that shows up on a wiki search - a lyrical inspiration to Frank Zappa, apparently.

(Pt I here).

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"....to forgive divine"

Saturday, September 13, 2008
"Armenia’s Culture Minister, Hasmik Bogosyan, wants to collaborate with its Turkish counterpart...Bogosyan said her biggest dream was to organize a festival celebrating Turkey in Armenia". Source

That there has been a thawing of Turko-Armenian relations of late is undoubtedly a good thing for all concerned, but I don't think there is much of a prospect of a Goethe festival in Jerusalem any time soon, is there?

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Negotiation à la Turque

Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Turkey and Armenia are not the friendliest of neighbours for reasons scarcely worth going into, but there may yet be talks about talks between Yerevan and Istanbul.

Not that the Turks want much:

"It is apparent that Turkey brings forth several preconditions for normalizing relations with Armenia, and these preconditions include the withdrawal of Armenian troops from [Artsakh] and Armenia's rejection of the policy of genocide recognition".

And the head of President Serge Sarkisian on a plate, maybe?

Meanwhile, I discover that the Armenian currency is the Dram, which could make for fearful confusion in Armeno-Caledonian relations.

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The Artsakh update

Monday, March 17, 2008
Azerbaijan has persuaded the UN to pass a resolution "reaffirm[ing] Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, expressing support for that country’s internationally recognized borders and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all occupied territories there".

Given recent events in Serbia / Kosovo, it is intriguing to note that some countries are quite happy to dismember Serbia in pursuit of self-determination for Albanians but will not extend the same principle to the Armenians of Artsakh. So, here are the states which have recognised Kosova but have also signed the Azeri motion:

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Kuwait
Malaysia
Morocco
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Turkey

Meanwhile, all credit to the unlikely list of refuseniks: Angola, Armenia, France, India, Russian Federation, United States, Vanuatu. Our man in NY abstained.


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Something to make the arts lobby sick with jealousy

Wednesday, March 05, 2008
How many times have Turner Prize winners and the like declared that they want to shock the public? A fair few times, I would think, and it would also seem to be the ambition of just about every graduate of RADA, the Slade etc etc . No one ever seems to have 'adding to the gaiety of the nation' on their wish list, but less of that later.

Anyway, if this headline - 'Street theatre scares children, shocks nation' - don't fetch 'em, I don't know Arkansaw, or rather Erzurum.

In a late bid for beacon council status, the Mayor of Aşkale, Erzurum province ordered municipal workers to 'dress up as Armenians acting out hanging an imam and murdering a family before being killed themselves by high school students playing the Turkish militia'. The 'educational' playlet was to commemorate the 90th anniversary of what the Mayor considers the liberation of the area, and "They repeat the event every year, he said, so children will always remember what happened. 'Keeping these sentiments alive will give us an honorable future'".

In fairness to the Turks, the main national newspapers are appalled and outraged. Which is a start, although acknowledging the Armenian genocide, or even asking questions as to why there are no Armenians in Erzerum province these days would be better still.

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Hillary Clinton in 'right - for once' shocker

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It did come as a bit of surprise, however Clinton - along with Barrack Obama and Nancy Pelosi - has backed "House Resolution 106, officially the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide".

Objections by the Bush administration are based on the likely hissy fit by Ankara, but given how remarkably unhelpful Turkey has been of late, I am not sure why Bush should be bothered, given that what's right is right.

Herewith a video put together by an Armenian-American lobbying group that took the fight to Bob Livingston, a former congressman now pocketing Ankara's Lira:




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