THE DAYS OF AZERBAIJAN IN ARMENIAN SCHOOL
Opening ceremony, December 17, 2007
Georgi Vanyan
Project director
Project director
Luiza Poghosyan
PR manager
PR manager
GUESTS FROM AZERBAIJAN
Afet Sariyev
Seymur Baijan
Jiansha Omarov
Sahib Babayev
Khamis Masimov
A creative competition was held in Mkhitar Sebastatsi educational complex in Yerevan city, from December 10th to December 20th of the year 2007. The jury selected and awarded prizes. Meetings and discussions, the screening of a documentary film, lessons on human rights protection were held. All these events were entitled “Days of Azerbaijan”.
Why?
The reason is that the creative competition was announced on the subjects: Azerbaijan in my imagination, a Letter to my contemporary from Azerbaijan, Armenia – Azerbaijan: what is our future to be like? Azerbaijan (free subject).
The reason is that the school was attended by the guests from Baku, Mingechaura, Gyandji and Kazakh from December 16th to 20th. The guests assisted in the operations of the jury and awarded prizes to the winners. They also participated in the meetings and discussions with teachers, conducted lessons in the school of human rights activists and for school journalists and watched and discussed the film “Open up borders!”.
The reasons is that a non-governmental organization named “Caucasus Center of Peace-making Initiatives” is operating in Armenia,
- which has been exerting its efforts to establish a civil dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has big experience in collaborating with many secondary educational institutions in Armenia, which brought to life many projects concerning the human right protection in school and informative and educational programs for senior schoolchildren.
- which, within the frameworks of “Peace-Making Team” held in 10 regions of Armenia during the public meetings and discussions on the past, present and future of Armenian-Azerbaijanian relations, has a chance of discussing the problems related to education and upbringing as to the overcoming of the consequences of the war and participation of the youth in peace-making activities with teachers, senior pupils, students of all the regions of Armenia,
- which having generalized all the existing problems, potential possibilities and the necessity, has worked out and is presently accomplishing a long-dated programs entitled “Human rights defenders' school” and “Step to a dialogue: Azerbaijan-Armenia-Turkey”.
- which has found a partner and a consumer of the program “Human rights defenders' school” – “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” educational complex, and proposed them that “Days of Azerbaijan” be held at school.
Why?
The reason is that peacemaking activities, the participation in a civil dialogue is a part of a human rights education and upbringing.
The goal of holding Days of Azerbaijan was to attract the attention of Armenian pupils to the problems existing between our peoples and enable them to socialize with interesting people from Azerbaijan, offer them an opportunity to take lessons from professional lawyers and human rights activists and professional journalists from Azerbaijan, and allow them to put forward their ideas and make participants of the dialogue.
During the Days of Azerbaijan a writer and publicist Seymur Baijan was a guest of journalists’ school. During the Days of Azerbaijan, the first training course of the school of human rights defenders was launched which had been worked out on basis of the lectures by Marek Novitski. The part of the course was held by the human rights activists and lawyers from Azerbaijan Djiansha Omarov and Sahib Babaev. A partner of the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives, a chairman of “Consensus” non-governmental organization Afet Sariev began teaching the course of logic at the School of Human Rights Activists. Presently, he is continuing this course with pupils by correspondence, via the Internet. The guests from Azerbaijan familiarized themselves with 37 written works of the pupils, teachers and students of pedagogic college. The works had been written before they arrived in Yerevan. The compositions, which had been selected by the Azerbaijan jury, are presently published in the website. You can also find one work selected by the Caucasus Center of Peace - making Initiatives and one work selected by the sponsor of the project, the Embassy of Great Britain in Armenia.
The subjects of the creative competition which were thoroughly thought over by the organizers-peacemakers and approved by the school management and frequently occurred, are mysteriously forgotten and the jury as a result received a series of compositions on the subject: “Azerbaijan: Enemy of Friend?”. There was another variant, too, entitled: “Azerbaijan: enemy or friend?”
Why really? (!)
Why?
The reason is that the creative competition was announced on the subjects: Azerbaijan in my imagination, a Letter to my contemporary from Azerbaijan, Armenia – Azerbaijan: what is our future to be like? Azerbaijan (free subject).
The reason is that the school was attended by the guests from Baku, Mingechaura, Gyandji and Kazakh from December 16th to 20th. The guests assisted in the operations of the jury and awarded prizes to the winners. They also participated in the meetings and discussions with teachers, conducted lessons in the school of human rights activists and for school journalists and watched and discussed the film “Open up borders!”.
The reasons is that a non-governmental organization named “Caucasus Center of Peace-making Initiatives” is operating in Armenia,
- which has been exerting its efforts to establish a civil dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has big experience in collaborating with many secondary educational institutions in Armenia, which brought to life many projects concerning the human right protection in school and informative and educational programs for senior schoolchildren.
- which, within the frameworks of “Peace-Making Team” held in 10 regions of Armenia during the public meetings and discussions on the past, present and future of Armenian-Azerbaijanian relations, has a chance of discussing the problems related to education and upbringing as to the overcoming of the consequences of the war and participation of the youth in peace-making activities with teachers, senior pupils, students of all the regions of Armenia,
- which having generalized all the existing problems, potential possibilities and the necessity, has worked out and is presently accomplishing a long-dated programs entitled “Human rights defenders' school” and “Step to a dialogue: Azerbaijan-Armenia-Turkey”.
- which has found a partner and a consumer of the program “Human rights defenders' school” – “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” educational complex, and proposed them that “Days of Azerbaijan” be held at school.
Why?
The reason is that peacemaking activities, the participation in a civil dialogue is a part of a human rights education and upbringing.
The goal of holding Days of Azerbaijan was to attract the attention of Armenian pupils to the problems existing between our peoples and enable them to socialize with interesting people from Azerbaijan, offer them an opportunity to take lessons from professional lawyers and human rights activists and professional journalists from Azerbaijan, and allow them to put forward their ideas and make participants of the dialogue.
During the Days of Azerbaijan a writer and publicist Seymur Baijan was a guest of journalists’ school. During the Days of Azerbaijan, the first training course of the school of human rights defenders was launched which had been worked out on basis of the lectures by Marek Novitski. The part of the course was held by the human rights activists and lawyers from Azerbaijan Djiansha Omarov and Sahib Babaev. A partner of the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives, a chairman of “Consensus” non-governmental organization Afet Sariev began teaching the course of logic at the School of Human Rights Activists. Presently, he is continuing this course with pupils by correspondence, via the Internet. The guests from Azerbaijan familiarized themselves with 37 written works of the pupils, teachers and students of pedagogic college. The works had been written before they arrived in Yerevan. The compositions, which had been selected by the Azerbaijan jury, are presently published in the website. You can also find one work selected by the Caucasus Center of Peace - making Initiatives and one work selected by the sponsor of the project, the Embassy of Great Britain in Armenia.
The subjects of the creative competition which were thoroughly thought over by the organizers-peacemakers and approved by the school management and frequently occurred, are mysteriously forgotten and the jury as a result received a series of compositions on the subject: “Azerbaijan: Enemy of Friend?”. There was another variant, too, entitled: “Azerbaijan: enemy or friend?”
Why really? (!)
Afet Sariev, course of logic
Compositions and letters
AROUND AND BYPASSING
The television and the press took an active participation in the discussion of our project, and this event was commented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Minister of Education of Armenia and the Minister on Youth Affairs of Azerbaijan, the chairman of European Union in the South Caucuses and the US ambassador in Azerbaijan, dozens of deputies of the parliament of both sides, political scientists and public figures. But the discussion at best was held about the project, but basically it went round it.
Why?
In the evening of December 13th, 2007 a journalist from Regnum Agency telephoned and introduced herself as Yana. I am a coordinator of the project and was very pleasantly surprised: a reporter from Regnum (!) is establishing an immediate (!) contact with those she is intending to write about before providing a material. The first thought that occurred to me was that the world is indeed changing for the better. Not this time.
Why?
The reason is that everything happened the way it should be.
Yana asked me:
- Is the information accurate that you are organizing Days of Azerbaijan in Armenia?
I asked:
- Where did you learn about it?
She answered that she had learnt about it through her friends or acquaintances.
I said:
- Oh, it is a good job that you contacted me and I can be of help to you. The matter here concerns not about the Days of Azerbaijan in Armenia. Just imagine an article entitled “The revolution in some Yerevan school!” - it is indeed not the same as “The Revolution in Armenia”, is it? We are facing the same situation. Do you see the difference? She answered me back:
- Yeah, I do understand. But how can I get more detailed information?
Then I answered:
- Please give me your e-mail and I will send you the schedule of the project and you will be able to come and prepare a material on any events at any time.
She said:
- Thank you, I will give preliminary information and then I will come to your project.
The next day the Regnum News Agency published the following information, “The Azerbaijanian delegation is to arrive in Yerevan” which was followed by a parenthetical clause “Days of Azerbaijan are to be held from December 17 to 20 in Yerevan within the Step to Dialogue: Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey”.
That was only the beginning, but unlike Yana, none of the journalists writing in such a manner sounded a question like “Is it right that…?” Though it is not important, anyway, I would also have to bring an example about the revolution in the school. And, besides, they would never understand the difference or they would refuse to understand.
Why?
The reason is that “journalism is a business and a journalist ought to meet the needs of an editor and readers”. These words do not belong to me, but Susanna Margaryan from “Azg” newspaper when the pupils asked her why her articles depicting the Days of Azerbaijan in the school was entitled “Armenian and Azerbaijan flirt based on Bleyan-rules and British money.”
The pupils had no objection and complaints about the content of the article. The journalist did not lie, simply she mocked in some places and it is her right. But the kids still wonder why the article was entitled in such a manner which seemed to be humiliating for all the participants of the project. I wonder if the matter really concerns the satisfaction of the needs of the readers?
The advertising campaign around the Days of Azerbaijan brought together:
A. Four people who for some reason identified themselves as “Armenian bloggers”. One can assume that they were Armenians who kept their own internet diaries – blogs. They brought a TV team with them.
B. A Student’s Union of Dashnaktutyun Party “Nikol Aghbalyan” and “Mitk” Analytical Centre which in the course of the project conducted a prompt inquiry, on the basis of which they wrote an appeal to the public and the authorities of Armenia so that they would be more considerate to the project initiated by the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives (CCPMI).
Why?
I have no idea. But I can state exactly that none of the above-mentioned people have even the slightest idea of how those days were held in the school and what was the exact subject of the discussion and what exactly was discussed at the lessons and about the meetings with schoolchildren.
Why?
The reason is that what they were interested in was the project itself. They simply decided that it was high to dispute with CCPMI the laurels of “the most tolerant Armenians on the world scale”. The formers (A) declared that they had nothing against the Azerbaijanians arriving in Yerevan (!), instead, they presented a soap to the organizer of the trip.
The latters (B) expressed their concern about the fact that “Azerbaijanian guests arriving in Armenia hear not a single opinion about Armenian people, but the opinion of separate individuals and at best the views of some organization which equally well can coincide or contradict the opinion of wide layers of the society”. They resolved to remind us about the fact that “although a number of regions of Historical Armenia continue being under occupation, the authorities of Azerbaijan at the highest level keep displaying militant statements about the decision of Artsakh question through a military way. Baku does not consider the fact that based on the results of the recent Karabakh war it is thought to be a losing side. That is the reason why under the present circumstances we are certain that the Armenian side does not have any problems seeking ways of reconciliation with Azerbaijan people”. (end of quotation)
But as I assume, in the process of writing this appeal, probably at the advice of “Mitk” (“Thought”) Analytical Centre, our volunteers suddenly remember about the European factor, to be more exact, about the reaction of Peter Semneby to our project.
Thus, remembering about the European factor they added: “It would be more correct if the Days of Armenia were held in Azerbaijan. Only under the similar mood would it be possible to sign an Armenia-Azerbaijan Treaty on Reconciliation.” (end of quotation)
The Student’s Union of Dashnaktutyun Party “Nikol Aghbalyan” and “Mitk” Analytical Centre becoming “closely linked” with CCPMI ended their statements with an appeal “to the initiators, as well as the wide public circles – scientific and state institutions, various public and youth organizations so that they would make the subject of discussion sound as national tasks and participate in further activity of Caucasus Center of Peace - Making Initiatives." (end of quotation).
Why?
In the evening of December 13th, 2007 a journalist from Regnum Agency telephoned and introduced herself as Yana. I am a coordinator of the project and was very pleasantly surprised: a reporter from Regnum (!) is establishing an immediate (!) contact with those she is intending to write about before providing a material. The first thought that occurred to me was that the world is indeed changing for the better. Not this time.
Why?
The reason is that everything happened the way it should be.
Yana asked me:
- Is the information accurate that you are organizing Days of Azerbaijan in Armenia?
I asked:
- Where did you learn about it?
She answered that she had learnt about it through her friends or acquaintances.
I said:
- Oh, it is a good job that you contacted me and I can be of help to you. The matter here concerns not about the Days of Azerbaijan in Armenia. Just imagine an article entitled “The revolution in some Yerevan school!” - it is indeed not the same as “The Revolution in Armenia”, is it? We are facing the same situation. Do you see the difference? She answered me back:
- Yeah, I do understand. But how can I get more detailed information?
Then I answered:
- Please give me your e-mail and I will send you the schedule of the project and you will be able to come and prepare a material on any events at any time.
She said:
- Thank you, I will give preliminary information and then I will come to your project.
The next day the Regnum News Agency published the following information, “The Azerbaijanian delegation is to arrive in Yerevan” which was followed by a parenthetical clause “Days of Azerbaijan are to be held from December 17 to 20 in Yerevan within the Step to Dialogue: Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey”.
That was only the beginning, but unlike Yana, none of the journalists writing in such a manner sounded a question like “Is it right that…?” Though it is not important, anyway, I would also have to bring an example about the revolution in the school. And, besides, they would never understand the difference or they would refuse to understand.
Why?
The reason is that “journalism is a business and a journalist ought to meet the needs of an editor and readers”. These words do not belong to me, but Susanna Margaryan from “Azg” newspaper when the pupils asked her why her articles depicting the Days of Azerbaijan in the school was entitled “Armenian and Azerbaijan flirt based on Bleyan-rules and British money.”
The pupils had no objection and complaints about the content of the article. The journalist did not lie, simply she mocked in some places and it is her right. But the kids still wonder why the article was entitled in such a manner which seemed to be humiliating for all the participants of the project. I wonder if the matter really concerns the satisfaction of the needs of the readers?
The advertising campaign around the Days of Azerbaijan brought together:
A. Four people who for some reason identified themselves as “Armenian bloggers”. One can assume that they were Armenians who kept their own internet diaries – blogs. They brought a TV team with them.
B. A Student’s Union of Dashnaktutyun Party “Nikol Aghbalyan” and “Mitk” Analytical Centre which in the course of the project conducted a prompt inquiry, on the basis of which they wrote an appeal to the public and the authorities of Armenia so that they would be more considerate to the project initiated by the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives (CCPMI).
Why?
I have no idea. But I can state exactly that none of the above-mentioned people have even the slightest idea of how those days were held in the school and what was the exact subject of the discussion and what exactly was discussed at the lessons and about the meetings with schoolchildren.
Why?
The reason is that what they were interested in was the project itself. They simply decided that it was high to dispute with CCPMI the laurels of “the most tolerant Armenians on the world scale”. The formers (A) declared that they had nothing against the Azerbaijanians arriving in Yerevan (!), instead, they presented a soap to the organizer of the trip.
The latters (B) expressed their concern about the fact that “Azerbaijanian guests arriving in Armenia hear not a single opinion about Armenian people, but the opinion of separate individuals and at best the views of some organization which equally well can coincide or contradict the opinion of wide layers of the society”. They resolved to remind us about the fact that “although a number of regions of Historical Armenia continue being under occupation, the authorities of Azerbaijan at the highest level keep displaying militant statements about the decision of Artsakh question through a military way. Baku does not consider the fact that based on the results of the recent Karabakh war it is thought to be a losing side. That is the reason why under the present circumstances we are certain that the Armenian side does not have any problems seeking ways of reconciliation with Azerbaijan people”. (end of quotation)
But as I assume, in the process of writing this appeal, probably at the advice of “Mitk” (“Thought”) Analytical Centre, our volunteers suddenly remember about the European factor, to be more exact, about the reaction of Peter Semneby to our project.
Thus, remembering about the European factor they added: “It would be more correct if the Days of Armenia were held in Azerbaijan. Only under the similar mood would it be possible to sign an Armenia-Azerbaijan Treaty on Reconciliation.” (end of quotation)
The Student’s Union of Dashnaktutyun Party “Nikol Aghbalyan” and “Mitk” Analytical Centre becoming “closely linked” with CCPMI ended their statements with an appeal “to the initiators, as well as the wide public circles – scientific and state institutions, various public and youth organizations so that they would make the subject of discussion sound as national tasks and participate in further activity of Caucasus Center of Peace - Making Initiatives." (end of quotation).
