ARMENIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: AZERI-ARMENIAN DISCUSSIONS SHOULD NOT AVOID SENSITIVE TOPICS

news.az
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Artem Yerkanyan News.Az interviews Artem Yerkanyan, a political
analyst of the Shant television company and Novoye Vremya newspaper,
who attended the Moscow meeting of mass media representatives from
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

How do you evaluate the Moscow meeting of media representatives of
Armenia and Azerbaijan?

I assess it positively. This kind of initiative deserves praise. I
think the right format was chosen for the dialogue. The dialogue
involved representatives of those professional groups that are capable
of forming public opinion and influencing decision-making in their
countries.

Were the parties constructive?

Both sides were very constructive. I am pleased that my colleagues
from Baku avoided the descriptions and epithets, prevalent in the
vocabulary of Azerbaijani politicians. I would especially like to note
the constructive position of the ambassador of Azerbaijan in Moscow,
Polad Bulbuloglu, who could prove that words taken out of context from
his statement of readiness "to fight for the liberation of Karabakh
with a gun in my hands" do not really reflect his views on ways to
resolve the conflict. However, it seemed to me that too "pacifist"
sentiments among Russian colleagues, who were present at the meeting,
did not fully reflect the real attitudes of the parties. It seems to
me that the discussion should not bypass sensitive issues. I think
we can do more than reciting sweet toasts and remembering days gone
by when the Armenians and Azerbaijanis were friends and brothers.

Do you think such meetings contribute to the revitalization and
development of intergovernmental dialogue?

I would not set us such an objective. Nevertheless, I believe that the
development of contacts between journalists really create a favourable
climate for a productive dialogue between state figures.

How can the meetings of the intelligentsia and mass media
representatives help the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh problem?

In my opinion, such meetings should aim not at contributing to
the resolution of the Karabakh problem but at creating conditions
in which the parties can understand each other better and inform
their communities. If the parties cope with this mission, it would
be progress. This will help mitigate the image of an enemy, which
will in turn have a positive impact on the negotiations over the
conflict settlement.

At the meeting it was noted that the two peoples will have to learn
to live together. How can the media contribute to this process?

I think the role of the media in this issue is great. Unfortunately,
most of the Armenian and Azerbaijani media today serve different
purposes. In general, Baku’s printed periodicals and Internet agencies
are more aggressive and militaristic than Armenia’s.