Today we live in a society, which can not imagine life without expressing views on social media. Probably it does have certain advantages. Nevertheless, many participants of active discussions have already forgotten or do not even know about the developments, which unfolded in Armenia 5, 10 or 15 years ago.  

To fill the gap Mediamax presents 5/10/15 project, which introduce developments in Armenia 5, 10 and 15 years ago.

•    15 YEARS AGO: JUNE 17-23, 2004

The picket in Baku against Armenian military

On June 21, 2004 Karabakhi Liberation Organization (KLO) activists tried to break up the three-day concluding planning conference of Cooperative Best Effort-04 in Baku. 

Protesting the arrival of Armenian servicemen, KLO staged a picket in front of the Europe Hotel, where the conference was held. Some of the pickets managed to penetrate the hotel and approach the doors of the conference hall. Seeing that the doors were locked, the pickets forced them and rushed into the hall, but they were turned out at once.

Europe Hotel in Baku

 

The conference was attended by the delegation of Armenian Armed Forces, comprised of Colonel Murad Isakhanyan and Senior Lieutenant Aram Hovhannisyan.

•    10 YEARS AGO: JUNE 17-23, 2009

Al-Assad in Yerevan

Syria was happy to learn about Armenia’s steps towards normalizing relations with Turkey, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated in Yerevan on June 17, 2009.

At the joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, al-Assad expressed Syria’s readiness to facilitate progress in the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, given the good relations Damascus had with both sides.

Bashar al-Assad also stated he got acquainted with the opinion of the Armenian President on the Karabakh conflict settlement, which was especially important on the eve of his visit to Azerbaijan. Al-Assad hoped that the sides would manage to avoid complications in the process of the settlement.

Bashar al-Assad and Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan

Photo: Photolure

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan described his official visit as “historical” and pointed out the centuries-long history of Armenian-Syrian relations. President Sargsyan also highlighted the fact that at the beginning of XX century, the Syrian people extended a helping hand to many survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

“Syria is the second homeland of Armenians,” Sargsyan quoted the former President of Syria Hafez al-Assad, who visited Armenia 30 years earlier.

•    5 YEARS AGO: JUNE 17-23, 2014

“Don’t defend Artsakh from me”

On June 17, 2014 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan spoke to the “Interview” program on Armenian Public TV about the fact that President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev read out the letter by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the meeting of heads of Customs Union states in Astana and stated that Armenia had to join the union with the country’s internationally recognized borders.

“I am really surprised that people wonder why such an opinion was voiced in Astana. It’s no secret at all that other than creating tensions on the border and violating the ceasefire, Azerbaijan has also declared and fights a diplomatic war. I do not share opinions which describe it as a “surprise”. Our delegation was comprised of over ten people and the previous evening we had held a conference, and everybody was aware of Azerbaijan’s sending a letter to the three Presidents.

Nursultan Nazarbayev and Ilham Aliyev

 

In addition, we had similar experience in the past, when the President of Kazakhstan raised those issues in Minsk. I see no reason to be surprised in this case. It’s a matter of appropriateness on what to say and where to say it. By unpleasantness, I implied not the content of the letter, but the fact that the President of a Customs Union member state was quoting Azerbaijani President’s letter,” said Sargsyan.

Addressing his critics, he asked them not to defend Artsakh from him. “It is not only offensive, but absurd as well,” noted Sargsyan.

Ara Tadevosyan