Vahram Martirosyan, a writer and a dramatist, who has met with many Hungarians as a part of his job, has translated their works, talked about the relations broken off between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days during a conversation with www.aravot.am, the reason for which had been Azerbaijani Safarov’s extradition.
“I am disappointed, but I hoped that the national discrimination, mutual hatred and racism in the region would diminish, but the latest step taken by Azerbaijan proved that the region, Azerbaijan, in particular, is still regressing,” Martirosyan said welcoming the steps taken by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in recent days concerning the relations between Armenia and Hungary.
“Hungary could have assumed what would happen after all that and in such cases, the state must value its dignity highly,” Martirosyan stated not sharing political scientists’ opinion that President Serzh Sargsyan shouldn’t have suspended, but broken off the relations with Hungary, “I don’t think of myself as an expert in this issue to make assessments, but for the time being, the president’s step was as decisive as it was necessary, I wouldn’t think it was right if it was less or more decisive. Since Hungary is a European country with a positive attitude toward Armenians, it wouldn’t be right to take hostile measures against Hungary. I think it is ridiculous that the parliament and the National Academy of Sciences have broken off relations with that country. One shouldn’t attribute the step taken by the current government to the whole society, scientific, cultural institutions and the people.”
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As for what we should demand now and what steps we should take next, Vahram Martirosyan stressed that the steps that had been taken were rather serious, one just had to be consistent, in order to achieve a broader condemnation of the phenomenon by the international institutions, “I myself don’t see any need for punishing Safarov, taking decisive steps against Hungary and Azerbaijan. One should use the possibilities provided for by the
international law, I repeat, to reach the condemnation of what has happened by the international community.”
According to Martirosyan, the fact that Armenian hackers are waging information warfare against the Azerbaijanis, breaking into their websites, those are just emotional actions, which, according to him, are taken by individuals and can be understood.
Martirosyan thinks that burning the Hungarian flag is unacceptable, particularly given the fact that the action was directed by Karen Avagyan, a Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP, “I think it was an inappropriate step and not only for an MP, but also for the other citizens of Armenia. Since the flag doesn’t belong to the current leadership of Hungary, but is their relic. Guess, if, for example, after the events of March 1 or the death of Vahe Avetyan murdered in Harsnakar, people around the world had burned the Armenian flag, how justified would it have been?”
Eva HAKOBYAN
