ALMOST ALL DELEGATIONS AT MEDIA EXHIBITION IN TEHRAN SUPPORTED ARMENIANS
PanARMENIAN.Net
November 1, 2010 – 16:09 AMT 12:09 GMT
Reporter of Azg newspaper Hasmik Harutyunyan said that Armenia’s
representatives gave numerous interviews to Iranian media about the
incident between the Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists during the
17th exhibition festival of press and information agencies in Iran.
“However, I regret to inform that in contrast to Azerbaijanis and
Turks, almost not an Armenia media outlet referred to the incident. In
addition, I regret to inform that many Armenian information agencies
took information about the incident from APA Azerbaijani news agency,
while this information was written by the person guilty of the
incident,” Harutyunyan, who represented Armenia at the exhibition
festival of press and information agencies, told a press conference
in Yerevan.
She added that the Armenian delegation was supported by almost all
delegations participating in the exhibition, as well as the Armenian
community of Iran, but not by Armenian media.
Reporter of PanARMENIAN.Net Yekaterina Poghosyan noted for her part
that the reaction of Armenian media was rather delayed. She noted
that Armenia is behind Azerbaijan in the information war, as Baku
media outlets work jointly in contrast to those of Yerevan. “The
matter was not in us, the event coverage was within our country’s
interests,” said Poghosyan.
Editor-in-chief of PanARMENIAN.Net agency Marina Ananikyan urged
Armenian media to change their approach and work methods, as well as
not to refrain from writing about their colleagues in case of similar
incidents. “Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side works jointly,
in contrast to us, and we lose in the information war, as everyone
thinks of himself, but not of our country’s interests,” she said.
On October 25-November 1, Tehran hosted the 17th exhibition festival
of press and information agencies, where Armenia was represented by
reporters of PanARMENIAN.Net agency and Azg newspaper.
A photograph of Artsakh’s symbol – We and Our Mountains memorial –
which was featured in the Armenian pavilion at the 17th media
exhibition in Tehran aroused indignation of the Azerbaijani
delegation. While the correspondents from PanARMENIAN.Net and Azg were
preparing their pavilion for opening on October 25, the Azerbaijanis
were closely following the action. After the map of Armenia and
Artsakh Republic was stuck to the stand, they first demanded that
the map and the image of the monument should be removed but then,
without waiting for any decision by the exhibition management, one
of them burst into the pavilion and tore away the map.
In the morning of October 26, the Armenian delegation, which arrived
at the area of the media exhibition in Tehran, found out that a
photograph of We and Our Mountains memorial has been removed from
the stand. After that the exhibition organizers have not taken any
actions to return the photograph to the stand.
On October 28, correspondents of PanARMENIAN.Net agency and Azg
newspaper decided to boycott the exhibition. “As the Iranian side
failed to keep its promise and return the photograph of We and Our
Mountains memorial, placing a photo of Yerevan fountains instead,
we took the decision to boycott the event. Armenia’s delegation
will disseminate a statement among the forum participants,” said
Yekaterina Poghosyan.
The statement reads: “Dear colleagues, we, the correspondents of
PanARMENIAN.Net news agency and Azg newspaper, representing Armenia at
the exhibition festival of press and information agencies, apologize
for ceasing our participation over the unsatisfactory organization
of the event, during which media freedom is being infringed and
limitations are imposed on materials providing information about our
country. We express our indignation at the fact that the exhibition
organizers disallow placement of We and Our Mountains monument image
on our stand, thus yielding to provocative acts of the Azerbaijani
delegation, which used the event to push on anti-Armenian propaganda
and claims to the historical Armenian land, Artsakh. With the
exhibition organizers failing to keep their promise and return the
photograph of the monument to the Armenian pavilion as well as to
ensure security of the Armenian delegation, we consider our further
participation in the event to be impossible.”
The organizers of the 17th international exhibition festival of press
and information agencies asked the Armenian journalists to continue
participation in the event but were rejected due to the failure
to return the photograph of the Armenian monument to the Armenian
pavilion. Therefore, the event organizers said they will not pay
for accommodation of the Armenian delegation any more. Thanks to
the efforts of Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Grigor Arakelyan, the
Armenian journalists came back to Yerevan on the night of October 30,
several days prior to the scheduled date of return.
From: A. Papazian