TODAY IN YEREVAN

Iain Dale’s Diary
September 6, 2009 Sunday 5:22 PM EST

It’s twenty past one in the morning here in Yerevan, Armenia. I
never like arriving somewhere new in the dark as it is difficult
to know what to make of the place, but from what I have seen so far
the Armenians certainly like their monuments. The hotel is excellent
(my criteria is good Wifi!) and the Blackberry works. Hurrah. I am
here as an ambassador for the John Smith Memorial Trust and one of
the tasks over the next two days is to talk to Armenian journalists
and politicians about the use of the internet in politics as well as
recruit fellows for the Trust’s 2010 programme in the UK. The Trust
funds training programmes to aspiring leaders from the former Soviet
Union countries. I gave a lecture to one of them back in June.

Today we meet the British Council, the British Ambassador, then
address a meeting of potential fellows in the afternoon. I loved the
invite waiting for me in my hotel room from "Her Britannic Majesty’s
Ambassador Mr Charles Lonsdale…". Sadly no Ferrero Rocher…

My only knowledge of this country, and indeed the only reason I
had heard of Yerevan was because West Ham played them in the 1976
European Cup Winners Cup. But I have done a lot of boning up and am
now an expert on Armenian history. Sort of. I have to do several TV
interviews over the next two days and I suspect that will test my
knowledge or ability to talk sensibly on a subject I have no idea
about. No change there then…