"JUDO DIPLOMACY" EASES KARABAKH TENSIONS
Gegham Vardanian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR
Sept 18 2009
UK
Bid to improve Turkish-Armenian ties started with a football match,
so could Judo tournament do same for Armenia and Azerbaijan?
The Azerbaijan flag has been flown in Armenia for the first time since
the Karabakh war, at a martial arts tournament tentatively welcomed
by analysts as a start for "judo diplomacy".
The welcome for the Azerbaijan team at the European Under 20
Championship, September 11-13, was warm, and police took careful steps
to prevent any demonstration against the athletes, who represented
a country with which Armenia has not signed a peace deal.
"We are on guard to prevent a flag being brought into the building
which could be burnt," said one policeman when asked why he was so
carefully checking this correspondent’s bag.
It was the first trip to Armenia for Azeri sportsmen since the Karabakh
conflict, in which Nagorny Karabakh declared independence from Baku,
and Armenian forces seized control of much of what is internationally
considered western Azerbaijan.
The Armenian government pledged to ensure the security of the
Azerbaijan delegation’s 15 members – five sportsmen, three trainers,
two doctors, two journalists, one referee and two organisers.
"This is sport, and every country is free to take part in sporting
events. We received Azerbaijan’s application to take part in the
championship with pleasure and created all the necessary conditions
for them to take part and then return to their homes," Armen Grigorian,
minster for sports and youth affairs, told IWPR.
The visit attracted broad interest in Armenia, where observers
wondered if it could mark the start of a thaw in relations between
Baku and Yerevan. A bid to normalise relations between Turkey and
Armenia started with a football match between the national sides last
year so could, observers wondered, the judo tournament prove to be
a similar turning point.
"It’s well-known that the process of regulating Armenian-Turkish
relations is called ‘football diplomacy’. If you take a parallel
with the participation of the Azerbaijan sportsman in the European
Championship in Yerevan, then you can call this ‘judo diplomacy’,"
Stepan Grigorian, a political analyst, said.
"Sport and culture are the best ways of creating dialogue between
warring sides, and the European youth judo championship, held in
Yerevan, is the best confirmation of this."
The Armenian government was taking no chances with the safety of
the Azerbaijan athletes, and special guards tailed them wherever they
went. A man in a black suit stood near each member of the team whenever
they were in the Yerevan stadium where the championship took place.
Gyunduz Abasszade, a journalist from Azerbaijan’s ANS television,
said he had experienced a warm welcome.
"We feel free and secure. Of course, there are some limitations from
our ‘protectors’, but this is natural. We are after all in an enemy
country. But in general, everything is good and calm," he said.
All five Azeri sportsmen won medals at the games, with one gold,
one silver, and three bronze, meaning the Azerbaijan flag was raised
five times.
When Elmar Gasimov won his gold medal in the 100 kilogramme category,
the Azerbaijan national anthem boomed out over the hall, which
held about 1,000 spectators and participants. Hrachuhi Barseghian,
a spokesman for the championship organisers, said at least 70 per cent
of those present stood for the anthem – an important mark of respect.
In response, when Armenian athlete Artyom Baghdasarian won a medal,
the Azeri visitors also stood for the anthem.
"Judo is an ambassador for peace. We are the first Azerbaijan sportsmen
to come to Yerevan. This is sport, and it should not be mixed up with
politics," said Aghayar Akhund-Zada, a trainer from the Azerbaijan
team who took part in contests in Armenia in Soviet years and said
he never considered missing out on the tournament.
"We have sportsmen who are appearing for the youth team for the last
time. If they did not come to Yerevan to take part in the championship,
it could well impact on their future careers."
Sergey Soloveychik, the president of the European Judo Union, said
judo was a sport distinguished by respect between opponents, who
always bow to each other before and after each bout.
"I am proud that our sport is becoming a diplomatic bridge, linking
different peoples. I hope that in future, politicians can follow our
example and show greater respect for each other," he said.
"We are not calling it judo diplomacy, but we are trying to work in
that direction. Not long ago the European Championship was held in
Georgia. As is well known, there are tense political relations between
Georgia and Russia. However, despite this, the Russian delegation
accepted their invitation, and the Georgians, for their part, did
everything they could so the Russians felt at home."
Gegham Vardanian is a correspondent from Internews, and a member of
IWPR’s Cross Caucasus Journalism Network.