At the time of his suicide in a Connecticut barn in 1948, the Armenian-American painter Arshile Gorky had, wrote the critic William Feaver, ‘as good a chance as any of being singled out as the greatest living painter’ in the USA.
Subsequently hailed as the father of Abstract Expressionism, as well as the last Surrealist, Gorky had taught Mark Rothko in Boston, and those who acknowledged his influence ranged from Willem de Kooning and Helen Frankenthaler to Cy Twombly and Jack Whitten.
Yet, although Peggy Guggenheim acquired a painting of his in 1944, which hangs in her collection in Venice, Gorky has never — until this summer — had a retrospective in Italy. Featuring 80 paintings and works on paper, loaned from private collections as well as museums around the world, the survey will span his short, tragic life, beginning with his early figurative works.
Gorky was something of a magpie when it came to synthesising influences: ‘I like Uccello, Grünewald, Ingres; the drawings and sketches for paintings of Seurat,’ he wrote. ‘And what about Papa Cézanne? And Pablo Picasso?’ Certainly, it’s not hard to discern their impact on his early still lifes, nor that of Miró, Kandinsky and his friend the Chilean surrealist Roberto Matta on his later abstracts.
But Gorky’s first great work was an affecting self-portrait, The Artist and His Mother (circa 1926–36), now at the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was based on a photograph taken in 1912, when he was about eight. (The chronology of his early life remains uncertain, but he is believed to have been born around 1904.)
Arshile Gorky, The Artist and His Mother, circa 1926-1936. Oil on canvas. Overall: 60 x 50 1/4in. (152.4 x 127.6 cm). Gift of Julien Levy for Maro and Natasha Gorky in memory of their father. Inv. N.: 50.17. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Photo: Whitney Museum of American Art/Licensed by Scala
Three years after they sat for it, the Armenian genocide forced his family to flee their home on the shores of Lake Van in what was then Ottoman Turkey. ‘I was taken away from my little village,’ he wrote in a questionnaire sent out by New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1945. ‘Yet all my vital memories are of these first years. These were the days when I smelled the bread, I saw my first red poppy, the moon… Since then, these memories have become iconography, the shapes, even the colours: millstone, red earth, yellow wheat field, apricots.’
They made their way on foot to Yerevan in Armenia. In 1919, still a boy, he cradled his mother as she died in his arms from starvation.
By the end of 1920, however, Gorky and his younger sister Vartoosh had found their way to the USA, where their estranged father had emigrated in 1908. Here he changed his name from Vosdanig Adoian to Arshile Gorky, assuming a surname that means ‘bitter’ in Russian, after the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky, and set about both reinventing his past and building a future as an artist.
By 1930, he was sufficiently established to have exhibited in a group show at MoMA and moved into a spacious studio at 36 Union Square in New York. A year later, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller bought one of his paintings.
Arshile Gorky, Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia, circa 1931–32. Pen and ink on board. Dimensions: 26 1⁄8 x 34 1⁄8 in (66.2 x 86.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. 50th Anniversary Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman
Still, he found neither real success nor contentment. ‘Even if I see lots of friends, even if I am among thousands of people, I always feel lonely,’ he wrote to his sister, bemoaning their ‘destiny’ and the ‘great bitterness’ that filled his heart. And it was only in the early years of his marriage to Agnes Magruder, whom he had met at a party given by de Kooning in 1941 and called ‘Mougouch’ (an approximation of ‘mighty one’ in Russian), that he began to thrive as an artist.
Bought by David Rockefeller in 1997: Arshile Gorky (1904-1948), Good Afternoon, Mrs. Lincoln, 1944. Oil on canvas. 30⅛ x 38 in (76.5 x 96.5 cm). Sold for $14,037,500 on 13 November 2018 at Christie’s in New York
Two years later, by which time Agnes had given birth to their first daughter, Maro, they spent the summer at her parents’ farm in Virginia. Inspired by the landscape, Gorky made more than 100 drawings and entered his most creative phase.
‘In the forests there are big lakes and torrents with clear running water, rushing through the stones and rocks,’ he wrote. ‘And beside the torrents are enormous cypress trees as still as sentinels with their heads in the cloud. They seem to press upwards against the blue of the sky to stop the bright blue sky from one day falling down.’
Arshile Gorky, Landscape-Table, 1945. Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 36 1⁄4 x 47 5⁄8 in (92 x 121 cm). Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne/Centre de création industrielle, Paris. Purchased 1971, AM 1971-151
There is an exhilarating freedom and vitality in the multiplicity of curves and lines and forms, and the pulsating colours of the proto-abstract expressionist paintings he made in Virginia and later Connecticut. Although they are suggestive of landscapes, their titles hint at an element of autobiography: One Year the Milkweed (1944), How My Mother’s Embroidered Apron Unfolds in My Life (1944), and Child’s Companions (1945), which sold at Christie’s in 2014 for $8.9 million.
‘Gorky saw things differently from other people,’ Agnes observed. ‘For him, clouds and trees were full of threatening forces… Nature was alive to him. He looked at the spaces between things as much as he looked at the object itself.’
This period of comparative calm was not to last, and the final years of his life were a succession of catastrophes. In January 1946, his studio burned to the ground, destroying more than 20 paintings. As Agnes put it, ‘Everything was lost.’ A month later, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent a colostomy, which led to periods of sustained depression and occasional violence.
Arshile Gorky (1904-1948), Dark Green Painting, circa 1948. Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 43 3/4 x 55 1/2 in (111.1 x 141 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art. Gift (by exchange) of Mr. and Mrs. Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee and R. Sturgis and Marion B. F. Ingersoll, 1995, 1995-54-1
And then, in June 1948, he discovered that Agnes had had a brief affair with Roberto Matta, less than a fortnight after which he broke his neck in a car accident, temporarily losing the use of his painting arm.
He began to drink heavily, and after a row with Agnes, during which she had tumbled or been pushed downstairs, she left with the children for her parents’ house. Five days later, he hanged himself. His suicide note, scrawled in chalk on a crate, read: ‘Goodbye My Loveds.’
The New York Times, assuming he was related to the Russian writer, a fiction the artist had earlier sought to encourage (just as he had sometimes maintained that he had been taught by Kandinsky), headlined its report of his death: ‘Gorky’s cousin ends life’.
The art press was unkind. ARTnews savaged his final show. But he was not without supporters, notably de Kooning, who sent a letter of complaint to the magazine, acknowledging Gorky’s influence on his own development as an artist. ‘When, about 15 years ago, I walked into Arshile’s studio for the first time,’ he wrote, ‘the atmosphere was so beautiful I got a little dizzy, and when I came to, I was bright enough to take the hint immediately.’
And although their marriage was brief, Agnes, who died in 2013 aged 92, did much to champion him too, both during his life and posthumously. As she tells their granddaughter, the film-maker Cosima Spender, in her compelling and brutally honest 2011 biographical film Without Gorky (available on Netflix), ‘He was so proud and high and fine-looking. And he had a mighty paintbrush. I was smitten immediately.’
Arshile Gorky: 1904–1948 is at Ca’ Pesaro, Venice, 8 May–22 September
A1+: Aleksandr Azaryan will not be deprived of his academic degree – Smbat Gogyan
Smbat Gogyan, chairman of the Higher Qualification Committee in the National Assembly, said that judge Aleksandr Azaryan will not be deprived of his academic degree and added that there is no mechanism to deprive him of that title.
A1+: Armen Sarkissian meets with Heritage Party leadership(video)
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met today with Chairperson of Heritage Party Andranik Grigoryan, Vice-Chairperson Narine Dilbaryan and member of the political party’s Executive Body Gagik Margaryan, reports the news service of the Staff of the President of Armenia.
During the meeting held at the initiative of Heritage Party, the interlocutors exchanged views on Armenia’s and Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) domestic and foreign policies and further democratization of public administration in Armenia.
We are not slaves – Protest in Gyumri’s "SASSTEX" LLC(video)
168: Armenia, Diaspora around the globe celebrate First Republic centennial
Today, Armenia and Armenians around the globe are celebrating the centennial anniversary of establishment of the First Republic of Armenia and the historic victory in the Battle of Sardarapat. May 28 is celebrated as Republic Day in the Armenian calendar.
Numerous events and programs such as cultural and public performances, are expected to take place nationwide. Celebrations will take place in Artsakh as well.
Government officials will pay a visit to the Sardarapat Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the fallen heroes who gave their lives for independence and freedom.
On May 28, 1918 the Armenian people restored their independence, which was lost nearly 9 centuries earlier, with the triumphant victories in the fierce battles of Karakilisa, Bash Abaran and Sardarapat.
The Battle of Sardarapat shaped the destiny of Armenia. The entire people, who survived the genocide, joined forces and entire families, including women, children and elderly, were fighting alongside soldiers.
With this victory, Armenian troops were able to stop the Turkish invasion to Transcaucasia and saved Armenia from total destruction.
On May 28, after the collapse of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in Tbilisi, the Armenian National Council declared the Republic of Armenia.
The first Prime Minister of the First Armenian Republic was Hovhannes Kajaznuni, and the last – Simon Vratsyan.
The short-lived First Republic of Armenia was subsequently invaded by the Red Army in 1920 and later the country became part of the USSR.
168: “Unite on the soil of our independent Homeland” – Sarkissian’s address on Republic Day
President Armen Sarkissian has congratulated Armenians around the world on the occasion of Republic Day, celebrated May 28th. The holiday marks the 1918 establishment of the First Republic of Armenia, the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle Ages.
“Dear compatriots,
I extend my cordial congratulations on the occasion of Republic Day.
Today, the Armenian nation celebrates the holiday of the restatement of statehood which has a centuries-long history. We celebrate our Republic Day which signifies the struggle and victories, the unbreakable will of the Armenian people.
The road, which the Armenian nation passed during the formation of the Armenian identity and in the process of the establishment and maturing of the Armenian statehood, is heroic and glorious; our losses only strengthened our desire to live, our mind was channeled towards creation, our power was aimed at establishing peace.
Let’s be grateful to all those who in 1918 had created the First Armenian Republic, from 1920 – the Soviet Armenia, and in 1991 reestablished the independent Republic of Armenia, to all those who for almost three decades have been preserving it.
Security and sustainable development of Armenia and the Armenian people is a pan-national issue. And pan-national issues can be addressed only through the pan-national efforts, utilizing the entire potential and abilities of Armenia, Artsakh, and Spyurk.
We need to form a General National Agenda with the common, paramount issues of vital significance and priorities; each and every one of us should be involved in the process of the decision making of our common issues.
With this regard, the role of our youth is indispensable. Today, I appeal to the younger generation which lives in Armenia, Artsakh, in different corners of the world and urge them to unite on the soil of our independent Homeland. Today you have the best opportunity to live and advance on your own land, to reckon and dream about tomorrow, to make Fatherland a unified idea and a powerful and viable state unit. We cannot be content with the achievements we had in the past; today we have a historic chance to make our country even better, to make our country even stronger and more than ever we can and we must, all together to make the triple power and potential of Armenia, Artsakh, and Spyurk [Diaspora] serve Armenia.
Congratulations to all in Armenia, Artsakh, and Spyurk on this holiday. Peace, victory, and success to us all and each of us, to our country, to our people, to each family, to each citizen. I am confident that the history of the next centuries of our statehood will be signified by the unity of Armenian nation, new success and victories achieved through the creative labor.
God bless us all,” President Sarkissian said in the message published on his official website.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/27/2019
Monday,
Armenia, China Sign Visa Waiver Deal
Armenia -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian (R) of Armenia and Wang Yi of
China sign a visa waiver agreement in Yerevan, .
The foreign ministers of Armenia and China signed an agreement on visa-free
travel between their countries after holding talks in Yerevan on Sunday.
The agreement will allow Armenian and Chinese citizens to visit and stay in
each other’s country visa-free for up to 90 days.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed the importance of the deal when he met
with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later in day. He said it will spur
people-to-people and commercial contacts between the two nations.
Pashinian also noted his May 14-15 visit to Beijing during which met with
China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. “I am glad that as a
result of our discussions we reached concrete agreements on developing mutually
beneficial cooperation,” he said, according to his press office.
“We are prepared for and intent on deepening mutually beneficial cooperation
with Armenia,” Wang said for his part.
Official Armenian statements on the talks suggest that Wang’s meetings with
Pashinian and Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian focused on ways of boosting
Chinese-Armenian economic ties. They specifically discussed Chinese involvement
in infrastructure implemented in Armenia.
China is already Armenia’s second largest trading partner. According to
official Armenian statistics, Chinese-Armenian trade soared by over 29 percent
in 2018, to $771 million.
Regional security was also on the agenda of Wang’s talks in Yerevan, with
Pashinian praising China’s “balanced” position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Scrutiny Of Armenian Judge ‘May Be Political’
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Smbat Gogian, chairman of the Supreme Qualification Committee, talks
to journalists, Yerevan, .
The doctoral dissertation of an Armenian judge, who freed former President
Robert Kocharian from custody last August, may have come under scrutiny for
political reasons, a senior government official said on Monday.
The Court of Appeals judge, Aleksandr Azarian, overturned a lower court’s
decision to allow investigators to arrest Kocharian on charges stemming from
the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. He ruled at the time that the
Armenian constitution gives the ex-president immunity from prosecution.
The higher Court of Cassation subsequently struck down Azarian’s ruling, paving
the way for Kocharian’s renewed arrest in December. Kocharian was again freed
on May 18 pending the outcome of his trial which began on May 13.
The decision made by a district court judge presiding over the trial angered
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his political allies and supporters.
Pashinian demanded on May 20 a mandatory “vetting” of all Armenian judges,
saying that many of them remain linked to “the former corrupt system.”
A few days after Kocharian’s latest release, Smbat Gogian, the head of
Armenia’s Supreme Qualification Committee, a state body overseeing the granting
of postgraduate degrees, claimed that Azarian plagiarized some parts of his
doctoral thesis.
The allegation, strongly denied by the senior judge, led an Armenian parliament
committee on science and education to hold on Monday an extraordinary session
on “possible legislative solutions for the fight against plagiarism.” Gogian
also attended the meeting.
Gogian stood by the plagiarism claim when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian
service. He said his agency arrived at such a conclusion after being alerted by
an individual whom he refused to name.
“By comparing files with each other, our [verification] system showed that
[Azarian’s] dissertation has textual matches with two other dissertations,”
added Gogian. One of those dissertations was written by Vazgen Rshtuni, the
chairman of the Court of Appeals.
Asked whether political motives are behind the scandal, the official said:
“Maybe they are … But I insist that the Supreme Qualification Committee did not
initiate it.”
Azarian charged, meanwhile, that the plagiarism allegations as well as the
parliamentary discussion organized by pro-government lawmakers are part of a
coordinated smear campaign targeting him. “I think it’s clear to everyone that
all bodies have been explicitly instructed to campaign against me,” the judge
told News.am.
Azarian also said that he and Rshtuni were supervised by the same legal scholar
when they worked on their dissertations. This why, he claimed, the two texts
may have the same passages.
Ex-President’s Indicted Brother Again Allowed To Leave Armenia
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Aleksandr Sarkisian is taken in for questioning by the National
Security Service, Yerevan, July 4, 2018.
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) has again allowed an indicted brother
of Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian to temporarily leave the country.
An NSS spokesman, Samson Galstian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Monday
that Aleksandr Sarkisian needs to undergo medical treatment abroad. He would
not say in which country Sarkisian will receive it and for how long.
Sarkisian was already allowed by the NSS to travel to Europe in March.
Investigators told him to return to Armenia in late April for further
questioning.
The NSS charged Sarkisian with fraud in February several months after freezing
his $30 million Armenian bank account as part of a separate inquiry. It
announced shortly afterwards that he has donated $19.6 million from that
account to the Armenian military. It said the state will also receive the rest
of the sum in payment of Sarkisian’s back taxes.
The fraud charges stem from over a dozen drawings by the 20th century Armenian
painter Martiros Saryan which were found in Aleksandr Sarkisian’s Yerevan villa
in July. The NSS said his fugitive son Narek had fraudulently obtained them
from Saryan’s descendants.
Narek Sarkisian, 37, fled Armenia in June 2018 before being charged with
illegal arms possession and drug trafficking. The Czech police detained him in
Prague in December on an Armenian arrest warrant. Armenian prosecutors have
since been seeking his extradition.
Aleksandr Sarkisian’s second son, Levon, is currently standing trial on charges
of attempted murder and illegal arms possession which he strongly denies. The
33-year-old was arrested in July and freed on bail in September.
Sarkisian, 62, is thought to have made a big fortune in the past two decades.
He held a seat in the Armenian parliament from 2003-2011.
Armenian, Azeri FMs To Meet Again
• Susan Badalian
• Aza Babayan
U.S. - Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov (R) of Azerbaijan and Zohrab
Mnatsakanian (second from right) of Armenia pose for a photograph with the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs in New York, 26 September 2018.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet again soon for
further talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian Foreign Ministry
said on Monday.
The ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, said Foreign Minister Zohrab
Mnatsakanian and U.S., Russian and French mediators discussed in Yerevan
preparations his “upcoming” talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar
Mammadyarov.
The three mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group visited the Armenian
capital at the start of a fresh tour of the Karabakh conflict zone. They met
with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian later in the day.
Naghdalian gave no date of Mnatsakanian’s planned talks with Mammadyarov.
The top Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomats most recently met in Moscow on April
15 in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A joint statement
released by the three ministers said the warring sides reaffirmed their stated
intention to strengthen the ceasefire regime around Karabakh and along the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and to take other take confidence-building measures.
Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev briefly spoke with each other
when they visited Brussels on May 13. It was Pashinian’s and Aliyev’s fifth
face-to-face contact in about eight months. Their first meeting held in
Tajikistan in September was followed by a significant decrease in ceasefire
violations on the frontlines.
In an interview with the Russian daily “Kommersant” published on Monday,
Mammadyarov sounded cautiously optimistic about further Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks. He said Baku last year give Armenia’s new leadership time to
“familiarize itself with details of the negotiation process.”
“That transitional phase ended, and negotiations resumed at the level of both
the leaders of the two countries and the foreign ministers … The dialogue is
going on in the existing format and under a particular agenda, which gives rise
to certain optimism,” he said.
Mammadyarov also stressed that confidence-building measures by the two sides
must go hand in hand with “real steps in the negotiation process” and
“elimination of severe consequences” of the conflict. That first and foremost
means a “withdrawal of occupation forces from Azerbaijan’s territories,” he
said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Sports: Az to be one of the trickiest journeys for London rivals
AZ TO BE ONE OF THE TRICKIEST JOURNEYS FOR LONDON RIVALS
by MARK MANN-BRYANS
CHELSEA and Arsenal will meet in the Europa League Final on Wednesday after taking a long and winding road to the Olympic Stadium in Baku.
The decision taken by UEFA to stage the Final in Azerbaijan’s capital -a city further east than Baghdad and Riyadh -has come under further scrutiny since two clubs separated by just seven miles reached the showpiece event.
Those fans lucky enough to have landed both a ticket -with just 6,000 allocated to each club -and been able to organise travel will also then have to contend with a local kick-off time of 11pm to appease television audiences across the continent.
The few direct flights between London and Baku sold out quickly, some even before Arsenal and Chelsea were confirmed as the finalists, while other non-direct routes can take over 10 hours.
It is also a drive of over 50 hours behind the wheel or a potential four-day train ride.
Even if you are a fan with both ticket and travel, you could still find yourself being rejected for an Azerbaijan visa -Arsenal reporting some of their supporters with dual British-Armenian citizenship had come across such an issue.
Hostility remains between neighbouring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region, where a ceasefire was declared in 1994 after fighting erupted several years earlier.
Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, captain of the Armenia national team, missed the Europa League group game against Qarabag in Baku earlier this season because of the issue.
The club are now working with UEFA in the hope safety measures can be put in place to allow the 30-year-old to travel for the Final as part of Unai Emery’s squad.
Once a ball is kicked in anger inside the Olympic Stadium on May 29, attention will hopefully switch to a London derby with plenty at stake.
The success of both Emery and Maurizio Sarri’s respective first seasons in England could be defined in this 90 minutes -plus the potential extra-time and penalties -so far from home.
Emery, who won the Europa League three years in a row with Sevilla and has not lost a knockout game in the competition since 2012, replaced Arsene Wenger last summer with the remit of returning Arsenal to the Champions League.
Their stumbling end to the Premier League season meant they finished fifth, missing out on an elusive top-four spot by a single point.
Victory for the Gunners would see Emery achieve his first aim as well as add a piece of silverware to toast his maiden season at the helm at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spaniard will continue in the job even if he is on the losing side, whereas counterpart Sarri does not even have the comfort of knowing victory in the Final will be enough to keep his.
The 60-year-old has faced adversity, a common theme among recent Chelsea managers, whether it be supporters lamenting his style of play, his goalkeeper refusing to be substituted late on in the Carabao Cup Final defeat to Manchester City or contending with constant speculation that Eden Hazard will leave this summer.
It is a credit to Sarri that he has steered the ship through such rough seas, guiding the Blues to third in the table -already securing Champions League football next year -and taking them all the way through to Baku.
There still may be no room for him in the Stamford Bridge dugout next season, such is the shelf-life of a modern Chelsea boss working under Roman Abramovich.
On the pitch, too, there are plenty of talking points.
Could it indeed be the last appearance of Hazard -who is seemingly bound for Real Madrid -in a Chelsea shirt? The Belgium forward has reportedly already told the club of his wishes.
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud joined from Arsenal in January 2018 and will be looking to end the Europa League as top goalscorer as he heads into the Final with 10 goals to his name already this season.
To finish as the outright leading marksman, Giroud will need to beat Petr Cech.
The Arsenal goalkeeper will retire after the Final, which he has declared is his “dream” way to bow out as he comes up against a team where he won no fewer than 14 major honours.
It may well have been a long road to Baku for the club, players and supporters.
But even after the Final, the journey of some of their main protagonists will be far from over.
Sports: Azerbaijan rejects safety concerns by Arsenal’s Armenian midfielder
I was surprised to learn this, because I do not recall any prior instance in Azerbaijan when any athlete of a different nationality – including an Armenian – was endangered. No do I know of any international event being cancelled in Azerbaijan due to the nationality of any of its participants.
Moreover, in recent years, numerous well-known Armenian athletes have visited Baku. Many recall the Armenian national team’s solemn march at the first European Games. Armenian athletes marched with their country’s flag raised high, in the very same arena where Mkhitaryan was supposed to play.
Azerbaijani authorities have never mixed sports with politics. However, a scandal was needed for the sake of political interests. The Europa League final is the first time Azerbaijan has hosted a major tournament final, and it will also host games at next year’s European Championships. The Europa League final at the modern Baku stadium is an extraordinary event for the post-Soviet space. Therefore, they decided to manufacture a scandal using Mkhitaryan.
Azerbaijan is a secular democratic state, which supports various different communities and ethnic groups, including an active Jewish community. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of neighboring Armenia, which has become a mono-ethnic state and, according to a recent statement by international institutions and organizations, is ranked first in its aggressive policies.
Over the past 27 years, Armenia has continued to illegally occupy 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, including the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. The Armenian occupation has resulted in brutal massacres and ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani civilian population. More than 800,000 Azerbaijani civilians were forcibly expelled from their land. Combined with 250,000 Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, the number of Azerbaijani refugees has reached over 1 million.
Despite the Armenian occupation, and the suffering that is has endured due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan, country with a Muslim majority, embraces all religions and ethnic groups. Through the centuries, people fleeing persecution have found refuge in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has taken important steps regarding international, regional and global cooperation. It has organized a large number of major international events, including the first European Games and the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games.
Those who compare Mkhitaryan’s decision to avoid travel to Azerbaijan to the instances of Israeli athletes not competing in events held in Saudi Arabia are mistaken. Israelis are prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia. Athletes and other official figures of Armenian nationality, on the other hand, have never been banned from traveling to Azerbaijan.
It is also worth mentioning that there is no history of any antisemitism in Azerbaijan. Jews and Azerbaijanis have always lived together in peace and harmony. Azerbaijan is the only place in the world, other than Israel, where Jews can live without anti-Semitism and nationalism.
Moreover, both the Azerbaijani ambassador to Britain and the Azerbaijani government have provided all the necessary guarantees related to ensuring his security. As the Azerbaijani statement confirms, over the past ten years, a large number of Armenian athletes have taken part in various international sports competitions organized in Azerbaijan without incident.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry insisted they had offered all the guarantees necessary to ensure Mkhitaryan would have been safe ahead of the game against Chelsea.
Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijan Football Association stated: “Our government authorities provided guarantees to UEFA for Mkhitaryan to come to Baku, so there is no issue of security and safety. We are disappointed to see the statement from Arsenal that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be traveling with his team to Baku to participate at the UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea next Wednesday. We very much regret this unwarranted decision taken, as we understand, collectively by Arsenal, the player and his family.”
“While we recognize the right to make a personal decision not to travel, we would like to reiterate that as the host country Azerbaijan has provided all the necessary guarantees required by UEFA to ensure the personal safety of Mr. Mkhitaryan.
“There is no reason whatsoever to put in question the seriousness of these guarantees provided by Azerbaijan. Over the past decade a large number of Armenian athletes have taken part in various international sports events in Azerbaijan without any issues.”
“Finally, we believe that this regretful decision will not affect in any manner the quality and the attraction of this great match. We look forward to welcoming both teams in Baku shortly.”
One must come to the conclusion, therefore, that the Armenian diaspora, in collusion with the Armenian authorities, continues to blacken the good name and international image of Azerbaijan and intimidates its own people and the world community. The Armenian charges are baseless and like a soap bubble, will burst the moment that the athletes land in Baku.
Their slanderous attacks will not disturb the tolerance of the Azerbaijani people, like the waves of the Caspian Sea that crash in vain against the rocks of the beautiful Absheron peninsula near Baku itself.
Sports: Arthur Aleksanyan thanks all supporters after winning a champion title
Olympic, three-time world and four-time European champion Arthur Aleksanyan took to Instagram to thank all his supporters for the congratulations after the victory at the International Turlykhanov Cup tournament.
“I am grateful for congratulations and for supporting me. This was a very important victory. We are now moving forward to European games,” Aleksanyan wrote.
To remind, the Armenian wrestler won his first champion title on Sunday after recovering from an injury has. In the 97 kg weight class competition of the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup held in Almaty, Khazakhstan the Armenian wrestler after winning four fights reached the final where defeated 3:1 Russian Aleksandr Golovin.
To note, Aleksanyan had been missing from the mat since the 2018World Championship held in Budapest, Bulgaria.