Author: Varazdat Torgomian

International Chess Federation—FIDE—has launched an investigation

Turkish organizers of the an international chess tournament in Sivas (Sepastia), Turkey have withdrawn an invitation to Armenian chess champion Maria Gevorgyan at the behest of the Azerbaijani delegation, which reportedly threatened to boycott the event if there was going to be an Armenian in the tournament, the BBC reported.

Furthermore, Gevorgyan, who is a three-time women’s chess champion of Armenia, was threatened with a lawsuit by the Turkish organizers after she took to social media to announce her removal from the tournament and express outrage at the situation.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE), under whose auspices the Sivas Buruciye Chess Open 2019 international chess tournament is being held, has launched an investigation.

“FIDE is acting,” said international chess body’s representative Emil Sutovsky in response to a complaint filed by the Armenian’s Chess Federation. “We already started the investigation. It will be quick. And the punishment for those found guilty will be serious,” reported news.am.

Gevorgyan, who is a FIDE world champion, said that she had a busy summer of tournaments around the world, prompting her to decide to skip the Sivas tournament, until she received an official invitation from organizers on August 7.

After she agreed to attend, an organizer, Mustafa Eroglu, contacted her to withdraw the invitation, explaining that Azerbaijani chess players had asserted that if there were an Armenian in the tournament, they would refuse to participate.

“In every country, wherever I speak, I always respected all opponents, regardless of their nationality or political views,” Gevorgyan wrote on her Facebook page, saying that rescinding her invitation because of her nationality was considered extremely offensive.

Her Facebook post prompted Ergolu to threaten Gevorgyan with a lawsuit, claiming that she violated the confidentiality of her correspondence, which she had also posted on the social media site. She said her Facebook post aimed “to raise the issue so that everyone knows there is racism in sports as well.”

Gevorgyan explained to news.am that the organizers had told her that they would make travel accommodations for her. They later informed her that the airline tickets were expensive prompting her to inform them that she would cancel her participation. However, the organizers insisted that she take part in the tournament. Hours later, Gevorgyan explained, Eroglu informed her about the Azerbaijani ultimatum, upon which she withdrew from the tournament.

“Mustafa’s message made it clear that the organizers are declining Armenia’s participation and won’t cover my expenses. The Armenian Chess Federation got involved and sent a letter to FIDE to explore the matter,” Gevorgyan told news.am.

“FIDE requested that the organizer of the tournament present the petition of the Azerbaijani athletes regarding the Armenian chess player’s participation. I contacted Mustafa Eroglu, but he didn’t submit any document,” explained Gevorgyan in the interview with news.am.

Gevorgyan believes that there was never an official letter submitted by Azerbaijan, but rather a discussion between the Turkish and Azerbaijani parties that resulted in her invitation being rescinded. She said that the Armenian Foreign Ministry had already contacted her.

“Chess has always brought people together. People from different nations have played together. I have always respected each opponent, without attaching importance to the opponent’s nationality. The fact that there is such discrimination in sports and that there is such an action against me is very painful. I don’t know why this happened. In any case, I think this issue should be in the spotlight,” Gevorgyan told news.am last week.

BY SARKIS MAHSEREJIAN
Translated from Armenian by R. Guevjelian

Whenever I visit an old friend of mine, who has the qualifications of a Santa Claus, he usually picks up a newly published book from a drawer and insists that I accept it as a gift. I am not the only recipient of his generosity, as my friend is a sworn member of a dwindling group of book lovers who not only buy books, but acquire a couple of them and gift them to their friends.

When I visited him last, he took a newly-published photography book out of his cache, from the cover of which a half-hidden Mount Ararat smiled at me, with the title “Armenia Through My Lens – A Photographer’s Travels,” by a young man named Sevag Mehterian.

I accepted this gift with thanks and, upon returning home, I started going through it, assuming that a new individual has joined the ranks of all those young men who have visited Armenia during the last decades and discovered their homeland. With his camera, Sevag has added a new illustrated book to the list of similar volumes, which I should say, is an encouraging aspect in itself.

At a first glance, I naturally tried to reinforce my predisposition, but as I went forward, the title of the volume started to make sense. Here is a young man, who looks at his homeland through his lens, from Armenia all the way to Artsakh and its surroundings. He hasn’t limited his photography to traditional methods, but, like some rare ones, he has preferred to view his homeland and its various treasures from above.

Camera in hand, he has directed his lens from Erevan to Erebuni, has “flown” over Tsitsernakaberd, Lake Sevan, numerous monasteries and historic landmarks, has reached Lori and Syunik-Zangezur, has perched near his “preys” to capture Oshagan’s carved stone Armenian Alphabet, as well as Echmiadzin and Datev. He’s even reached Artsakh, to photograph from air or on land, Stepanakert, Shushi, Gandzasar, “We are our Mountains” monument and other spectacular holy sites. From time to time, with the help of his electronic device, he has “played” with some of his pictures, for example presenting the reflection of a picture on the frame’s second half, showing that with such tricks a photograph’s handicraft can reach art’s threshold.

The tome doesn’t have a preface. Short, one-line explanations accompany the photographs. Sevag has clearly preferred that his pictures speak for themselves.

At the end of the book, there is a short summary about the author. Sevag Mehterian studied Marine Geology at University of California, Berkeley and got his PhD in Geochemistry and Climate Science from the University of Miami. Sevag likes to watch nature’s beauty and presents it through his lens. He doesn’t call himself an art photographer. Instead, he is a silent, yet loquacious, bridge between nature and viewer.

As a point worthy of appreciation, Sevag has taken his lens to Armenia and Artsakh—nowhere else. He has an unwavering connection to his homeland and he wants to impart that, as well as his love for Armenia, to his viewers. If we look closely, we will find that Sevag’s values are rooted in the environment he was raised in, his love for Armenia stems from his home.

Find more of Sevag’s work online.