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RADIK NOREKIAN: PROBLEMS ARISEN BETWEEN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY AND AMBASSADOR OF ARMENIA SEEMS ASTONISHING FOR OFFICIALS OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 08 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
community of Slovakia expresses its indignation on the occasion of
actions of Ashot Hovakimian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Austria,
as a result of what the Minister of Culture of Slovakia refused to
sponsor the "Days of Armenian Culture" initiated in that country
by the community, calling into question the initiators' competence
in the issue of organization of those events," is said in the
message received by Radik Norekian, a board member of the Armenian
community of Slovakia, the Chairman of the "Ararat" club acting in
Bratislava. According to the community board member, Marek Madaric,
the Minister of Culture of Slovakia, who beforehand agreed to sponsor
those events, after discussing this issue with the Armenian Embassy in
Vienna, informed them in written form that "The Armenian Embassy in
Vienna stated that it has general information about those events and
that those are just of private character." Instead, in the Minister's
words, the Ministry of Culture, at the Embassy's request, will receive
them and discuss issues of wide cooperation in the sphere of culture."
"In other words, Norekian mentions, the Ambassador advised the
Minister not to cooperate with A.Grigorian, but to cooperate with the
Embassy." "Then a similar letter was received from the Ambassador
as well, just what arose our indignation," R.Norekian mentions and
adds: "The matter is that Ashot Grigorian, the head of the Armenian
community in Slovakia, the head of the Armenian Organizations in Europe
Representation, who is also the not-on-the-staff-advisor of the Foreign
Minister of Armenia, undertook works of organization and financing of
the "Days of Armenian Culture" in Slovakia and neighboring countries.
Both as individual benefactor and as Foreign Minister's Advisor,
A.Grigorian had a right to organize similar events, what he,
by the way, had carried out earlier and what he is going to do
in future as well. But by Ambassador Hovakimian's calling into
question the competence of A.Grigorian's actions in the Minister's
eyes, A.Grigorian's dignity was stricken, who promotes in Slovakia
considerable activity beneficial for Armenians not only in cultural
but in other spheres as well: owing to his immediate efforts, the
Parliament of Slovakia adopted the resolution on the Armenian Genocide
two years ago." In R.Norekian's words, the Ambassador did not only call
into question the competence of A.Grigorian's person, but in future,
when, however, the Armenian music festival took place in Slovakia and
had an astonishing success, he passed by in silence the circumstance
that A.Grigorian financed a considerable part of the festival: concerts
of the Yerevan Opera Theater soloists and "Komitas" quartet as well
as receptions organized after some other concerts. A.Grigorian had
partial participation in works of organization of other concerts of
the festival. In Radik Norekian's words, Chairman of the Armenian
community of Slovakia Ashot Grigorian has headed huge works to present
the Armenian culture in Europe for more than ten years, and "it is
the first time that instead of appreciating those works, they hamper
and, moreover, in such shameful way." In Radik Norekian's words,
members of the Armenian community of Austria have similar problems
about which they shared their thoughts with them many times, but they
attempt not to make them public, avoiding undesirable consequences.
"Similar problems arisen in the European countries during those
days among the local Armenian communities (even small in number) and
the Ambassador seem very astonishing and inadmissible and make bad
impression," Radik Norekian, a board member of the Armenian community
of Slovakia, emphasized, expressing fear that consequences of this
incident may have negative influence for a long time on the activity
beneficial for Armenians of the Armenians living in Slovakia.
To recap, both Ambassador of Armenia to Austria Ashot Hovakimian
and organizer of the "Days of Armenian Culture" in Slovakia avoided
giving commentaries concerning the issue: in response to the inquiry
presented by Noyan Tapan, the Ambassador advised to address to the
Foreign Ministry's Press Service with this issue, and A.Grigorian
stated that he presented the problem to the Foreign Ministry and did
not want to give commentaries until getting the official response.
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 08 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
community of Slovakia expresses its indignation on the occasion of
actions of Ashot Hovakimian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Austria,
as a result of what the Minister of Culture of Slovakia refused to
sponsor the "Days of Armenian Culture" initiated in that country
by the community, calling into question the initiators' competence
in the issue of organization of those events," is said in the
message received by Radik Norekian, a board member of the Armenian
community of Slovakia, the Chairman of the "Ararat" club acting in
Bratislava. According to the community board member, Marek Madaric,
the Minister of Culture of Slovakia, who beforehand agreed to sponsor
those events, after discussing this issue with the Armenian Embassy in
Vienna, informed them in written form that "The Armenian Embassy in
Vienna stated that it has general information about those events and
that those are just of private character." Instead, in the Minister's
words, the Ministry of Culture, at the Embassy's request, will receive
them and discuss issues of wide cooperation in the sphere of culture."
"In other words, Norekian mentions, the Ambassador advised the
Minister not to cooperate with A.Grigorian, but to cooperate with the
Embassy." "Then a similar letter was received from the Ambassador
as well, just what arose our indignation," R.Norekian mentions and
adds: "The matter is that Ashot Grigorian, the head of the Armenian
community in Slovakia, the head of the Armenian Organizations in Europe
Representation, who is also the not-on-the-staff-advisor of the Foreign
Minister of Armenia, undertook works of organization and financing of
the "Days of Armenian Culture" in Slovakia and neighboring countries.
Both as individual benefactor and as Foreign Minister's Advisor,
A.Grigorian had a right to organize similar events, what he,
by the way, had carried out earlier and what he is going to do
in future as well. But by Ambassador Hovakimian's calling into
question the competence of A.Grigorian's actions in the Minister's
eyes, A.Grigorian's dignity was stricken, who promotes in Slovakia
considerable activity beneficial for Armenians not only in cultural
but in other spheres as well: owing to his immediate efforts, the
Parliament of Slovakia adopted the resolution on the Armenian Genocide
two years ago." In R.Norekian's words, the Ambassador did not only call
into question the competence of A.Grigorian's person, but in future,
when, however, the Armenian music festival took place in Slovakia and
had an astonishing success, he passed by in silence the circumstance
that A.Grigorian financed a considerable part of the festival: concerts
of the Yerevan Opera Theater soloists and "Komitas" quartet as well
as receptions organized after some other concerts. A.Grigorian had
partial participation in works of organization of other concerts of
the festival. In Radik Norekian's words, Chairman of the Armenian
community of Slovakia Ashot Grigorian has headed huge works to present
the Armenian culture in Europe for more than ten years, and "it is
the first time that instead of appreciating those works, they hamper
and, moreover, in such shameful way." In Radik Norekian's words,
members of the Armenian community of Austria have similar problems
about which they shared their thoughts with them many times, but they
attempt not to make them public, avoiding undesirable consequences.
"Similar problems arisen in the European countries during those
days among the local Armenian communities (even small in number) and
the Ambassador seem very astonishing and inadmissible and make bad
impression," Radik Norekian, a board member of the Armenian community
of Slovakia, emphasized, expressing fear that consequences of this
incident may have negative influence for a long time on the activity
beneficial for Armenians of the Armenians living in Slovakia.
To recap, both Ambassador of Armenia to Austria Ashot Hovakimian
and organizer of the "Days of Armenian Culture" in Slovakia avoided
giving commentaries concerning the issue: in response to the inquiry
presented by Noyan Tapan, the Ambassador advised to address to the
Foreign Ministry's Press Service with this issue, and A.Grigorian
stated that he presented the problem to the Foreign Ministry and did
not want to give commentaries until getting the official response.