ROUNDTABLE 22 APRIL – CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND THE INVENTION OF HISTORY IN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA

Hosted by AGBU Europe and Inside Europe
Apr 21, 2009

The recent conflict between Azerbaijanis and Armenians over
Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh) has extended to Azeri efforts to write
Armenians out of the history of the South Caucasus. This anti-Armenian
drive has accelerated in the last ten years and threatens to become
a long term obstacle to bringing peace into the region.

At a roundtable in Brussels on 22 April, Dr Rouben Galichian, a
British-Armenian author and historian, will discuss how Azeris and
Armenians characterize each other in the Caucasus today. He will
address the relevance of historical discourse and cultural heritage
in confidence building and conflict resolution in the South Caucasus
region.

Galichian will argue that many Azeri historians have systematically
misrepresented ancient, medieval and modern sources, while government
authorities have destroyed historical heritage attesting to the
presence of Armenians in that region. The destruction of thousands
of khachkars in the medieval Armenian cemetery of Julfa in 2006 is
a good example that was also been captured on film.

The round table touches upon a topic – conflict resolution in the
South Caucasus- which is increasingly on the EU’s agenda. Most EU
policy-makers and experts avoid addressing relating to historical
interpretation, however absurd the thesis promoted.=2 0Mr Galichian’s
talk will however illustrate the link between aggressive nationalism,
the destruction of cultural heritage and conflict in the region. He
will thus try to show the need for policy-makers to understand the
political significance of disputes on history.

Mr. Galichian’s talk will be introduced by historian Ara Sarafian, a
long-standing advocate of Turkish-Armenian dialogue and reconciliation.

* Rouben Galichian’s latest title, The Invention of History:
Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Showcasing of Imagination, was released
by the Gomidas Institute in London this week.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress