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SON OF KARABAKH WINS EURO SONG CONTEST
By Karine Ohanyan
IWPR Institute for War and Peace Reporting
CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE No. 569
December 8, 2010
UK
Young singer entered as citizen of Armenia as Nagorny Karabakh remains
unrecognised.
Vladimir Arzumanyan was delighted with his victory in the Eurovision
youth song contest last month in Minsk, although for some people
in Nagorny Karabakh it was a reminder of the unresolved status of
their territory.
Although Vladimir entered as the contestant from the Republic
of Armenia, he is actually an Armenian from Nagorny Karabakh, a
self-proclaimed republic that enjoys no international recognition
and is considered part of Azerbaijan.
"It's a great victory for our little Karabakh," said Diana Arzumanyan,
Vladimir's mother.
Lira Kocharyan, who trained Vladimir for the contest, said he received
a hero's welcome on his return.
"Vladimir is just a boy like all others all over the world, with the
same desires and dreams. I would very much like him to have not just
the same dreams, but also the same rights as his peers all over the
world," she said.
A generation of Karabakh Armenians has grown up in the legal limbo of
coming from a place that does not exist in terms of international law.
Nagorny Karabakh was part of Azerbaijan when the borders of the
three South Caucasus republics were drawn by the Soviet authorities,
although it was granted autonomous status in recognition of the
Armenians living there.
In 1988, Armenian residents appealed to Moscow to detach the region
from Azerbaijan. The campaign eventually led to war, ending with a
1994 ceasefire, but no formal peace deal.
Sportsmen, musicians and others from Karabakh who wish to compete
internationally are obliged to do so as representatives of the state
of Armenia.
Andre, a pop star from Karabakh, who represented Armenia in Eurovision
2006, told IWPR that more than half of Armenian musicians actually
come from Karabakh.
"When I got into the top ten at Eurovision, I went on stage holding
the Karabakh flag," he recalled. "Although I was representing Armenia,
I was definitely representing my homeland as well."
Pop star Razmik Amyan and pianist Anahit Arushanyan have also performed
under the Armenian flag
Ashot Danielyan recently won the world championship in "sambo", a
martial art invented for soldiers in the Soviet Union which is now
popular throughout the former Eastern Bloc. He too appeared under
the flag of Armenia.
"When I returned from the world championship, I was greeted very warmly
in Karabakh. When I saw the flag of the Nagorny Karabakh Republic,
I was happier than ever. I think the day will come when I appear
under that flag," he said.
At the same time, Danielyan said, "We sportsmen try not to interfere
in politics. I've often gone into the ring with guys from Azerbaijan
and Turkey, and it was always sportsmanlike. When I was made
world champion, the Azerbaijan trainer came up, shook my hand and
congratulated me on my win. Sport is sport; it's outside politics."
Narine Aghabalyan, culture minister in Karabakh's government, said,
"If you acknowledge that Armenia and Karabakh are a single national
and cultural community, then it's fine if we represent Armenia. But
of course we would like to appear under our own flag as a sovereign
state. At the moment, Armenia is our only window to the world."
Aghabalyan said the most important thing was for Karabakh's best and
brightest to shine.
"A true artist needs a big stage, awards and global recognition. I
don't want our talented people to remain here. The environment is
too isolated from the world," she said. "Let them go out and win -
we will be proud of them."
Lilit Tovmasyan, a teacher in Karabakh's capital Stepanakert,
agreed, saying her school had produced numerous singers, sportsmen,
mathematicians and theatre directors.
"If they'd all waited until Karabakh was recognised, they wouldn't
have had much of a career," she said.
Vladimir's trainer Kocharyan said the problem for many was not which
country they represented, but the difficulty of making appearances
abroad.
"We need to show them off to the world, and that takes big money," she
said. "Non-recognition, funding, isolation, an information blockade,
even a transport blockade. We find out about competitions late or not
at all. We can only go if we find a good sponsor. And on top of that,
we can only travel via Yerevan, and that's six hours on the road,
then the airport and so on."
Vladimir, who was born after the Karabakh war ended, has more
immediate demands.
"I want a brother - my mother promised me one if I won," he said.
Karine Ohanyan is a freelance reporter in Nagorny Karabakh.
From: A. Papazian
By Karine Ohanyan
IWPR Institute for War and Peace Reporting
CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE No. 569
December 8, 2010
UK
Young singer entered as citizen of Armenia as Nagorny Karabakh remains
unrecognised.
Vladimir Arzumanyan was delighted with his victory in the Eurovision
youth song contest last month in Minsk, although for some people
in Nagorny Karabakh it was a reminder of the unresolved status of
their territory.
Although Vladimir entered as the contestant from the Republic
of Armenia, he is actually an Armenian from Nagorny Karabakh, a
self-proclaimed republic that enjoys no international recognition
and is considered part of Azerbaijan.
"It's a great victory for our little Karabakh," said Diana Arzumanyan,
Vladimir's mother.
Lira Kocharyan, who trained Vladimir for the contest, said he received
a hero's welcome on his return.
"Vladimir is just a boy like all others all over the world, with the
same desires and dreams. I would very much like him to have not just
the same dreams, but also the same rights as his peers all over the
world," she said.
A generation of Karabakh Armenians has grown up in the legal limbo of
coming from a place that does not exist in terms of international law.
Nagorny Karabakh was part of Azerbaijan when the borders of the
three South Caucasus republics were drawn by the Soviet authorities,
although it was granted autonomous status in recognition of the
Armenians living there.
In 1988, Armenian residents appealed to Moscow to detach the region
from Azerbaijan. The campaign eventually led to war, ending with a
1994 ceasefire, but no formal peace deal.
Sportsmen, musicians and others from Karabakh who wish to compete
internationally are obliged to do so as representatives of the state
of Armenia.
Andre, a pop star from Karabakh, who represented Armenia in Eurovision
2006, told IWPR that more than half of Armenian musicians actually
come from Karabakh.
"When I got into the top ten at Eurovision, I went on stage holding
the Karabakh flag," he recalled. "Although I was representing Armenia,
I was definitely representing my homeland as well."
Pop star Razmik Amyan and pianist Anahit Arushanyan have also performed
under the Armenian flag
Ashot Danielyan recently won the world championship in "sambo", a
martial art invented for soldiers in the Soviet Union which is now
popular throughout the former Eastern Bloc. He too appeared under
the flag of Armenia.
"When I returned from the world championship, I was greeted very warmly
in Karabakh. When I saw the flag of the Nagorny Karabakh Republic,
I was happier than ever. I think the day will come when I appear
under that flag," he said.
At the same time, Danielyan said, "We sportsmen try not to interfere
in politics. I've often gone into the ring with guys from Azerbaijan
and Turkey, and it was always sportsmanlike. When I was made
world champion, the Azerbaijan trainer came up, shook my hand and
congratulated me on my win. Sport is sport; it's outside politics."
Narine Aghabalyan, culture minister in Karabakh's government, said,
"If you acknowledge that Armenia and Karabakh are a single national
and cultural community, then it's fine if we represent Armenia. But
of course we would like to appear under our own flag as a sovereign
state. At the moment, Armenia is our only window to the world."
Aghabalyan said the most important thing was for Karabakh's best and
brightest to shine.
"A true artist needs a big stage, awards and global recognition. I
don't want our talented people to remain here. The environment is
too isolated from the world," she said. "Let them go out and win -
we will be proud of them."
Lilit Tovmasyan, a teacher in Karabakh's capital Stepanakert,
agreed, saying her school had produced numerous singers, sportsmen,
mathematicians and theatre directors.
"If they'd all waited until Karabakh was recognised, they wouldn't
have had much of a career," she said.
Vladimir's trainer Kocharyan said the problem for many was not which
country they represented, but the difficulty of making appearances
abroad.
"We need to show them off to the world, and that takes big money," she
said. "Non-recognition, funding, isolation, an information blockade,
even a transport blockade. We find out about competitions late or not
at all. We can only go if we find a good sponsor. And on top of that,
we can only travel via Yerevan, and that's six hours on the road,
then the airport and so on."
Vladimir, who was born after the Karabakh war ended, has more
immediate demands.
"I want a brother - my mother promised me one if I won," he said.
Karine Ohanyan is a freelance reporter in Nagorny Karabakh.
From: A. Papazian