HOPES FOR PEACE TO BLOOM WITH FEST
Hurriyet
Monday, June 29, 2009 13:49
ISTANBUL – As part of an Armenian peace initiative, an Azerbaijani
prisoner of war is set to meet with an Azerbaijani committee visiting
the country for the Flower Festival. Besides Azerbaijan, Turkey,
Israel, Palestine, Russia, Georgia and also Iran will attend the
festival this year.
Flowers for peace are the inspiration for next month’s Flower Festival,
an Armenian initiative to end regional conflict. As an opening move
by Armenia, an Azerbaijani prisoner of war, who was taken during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will meet with
an Azerbaijani committee visiting the country for the Flower Festival.
Aºod Cobanian, president of Interflora Armenia and the owner of
the country’s biggest flower firm, Brabion (peace flowers), has
visited Turkey in recent weeks for official meetings and to invite
Recep Gedik, president of Interflora Turkey, to Armenia. Cobanian,
also the organizer and financer of the festival, spoke to Hurriyet
Daily News & Economic Review about the festival and its goals. The
festival will be held from dusk to dawn on July 6.
Positive responses Cobanian said the official talks for the
Azerbaijani committee to meet the war prisoner were being carried
out by the festival committee and added that he was happy to receive
positive responses from authorities. "This was the biggest wish of
the Azerbaijani clergy. I wanted to do everything I could in the name
of friendship and peace. I hope this turns out to be a first step and
that we will get the chance to meet with the six Armenian prisoners
of war that Azerbaijan is holding, too." The Flower Festival has been
organized and financed by Brabion since 1994 and is likely one of the
most prized festivals in the world as it brings countries in conflict
together. Besides Turkey and Azerbaijan, Israel, Palestine, Russia,
Georgia and Iran will attend the festival this year. The festival
board has announced to the Turkish press: "We are ready to host you
all. We expect all of you to come to Yerevan with flowers of peace."
This year’s surprise guest to the festival is Turkey. Interflora
Turkey has not attended the festival despite being invited for five
years. Gedik said they would attend this year for the first time
with a committee of 20 and the diplomacy traffic between the two
countries in recent months has been a factor in their decision. "As
the Turkish committee, we will be holding flowers representing love,
peace and friendship during our visit to Armenia." The committees
of the attending countries will each include an ambassador, an army
officer, a clergy and an artist. Only the Turkish and Azerbaijani
committees will not feature as the two countries do not have diplomatic
relations with Armenia. The festival of this year, like in previous
years, will hold many surprises.
The most interesting of them is soldiers who were assigned to pick a
thousand flowers from the mountains. With the special permission of
the Armenian army, 60 soldiers will head to the mountains at dusk and
pick a thousand flowers to dress up a 2 meter high tank and bring it
to the festival area. The festival will be held in the Opera Square at
the center of Yerevan. Countries at war will sit side by side at long
tables. There will be a giant baby stroller at the square alongside six
deep cauldrons for the attending countries to put flowers in. The last
country will the shape flowers in the cauldron and six giant bouquets
will be prepared to be sent to the first ladies of the countries. The
bouquets for the Turkish and Azeri first ladies will be sent through
the embassies at Russia.
"I wanted to make countries at war fight with flowers, not with
guns" said Cobanian, indicating that war does not benefit the
winner or the loser. "Look at Armenia. We have won the war but we
are surrounded by four sides. Only peace would eliminate borders,"
said Cobanian. Cobanian’s original name is "Arºalyus," meaning
dusk. Arºalyus is a woman’s name, but Cobanian uses many names,
including Aºod. The identity of Cobaian is one of the most speculated
issues in Armenia as nobody there knows whether the organizer is a
man or woman. Cobanian has never been photographed by the press. "It
does not matter who I am," said Cobanian, adding: "I enjoy living as
if I am a character from a fairy tale and struggle for peace."