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: FEBRUARY 11-17, 2004
The peacekeepers go to Kosovo
On February 12, 2004 a unit of 34 Armenian peacekeepers traveled to Kosovo on the Greek troop transport Hercules.
The Kosovo operation became the first foreign detachment of Armenian peacekeepers.
Armenian peacekeepers depart for Kosovo Photo: Photolure
Armenian Defense Minister of that time Serzh Sargsyan remarked that “the experience our servicemen are going to gain will have a great importance for Armenian armed forces”. He stressed that the dispatch of Armenian peacekeepers to Kosovo was “another stage of intensification of Armenia-NATO relations, which started in 2000”.
Start from scratch
On February 12, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev said that official Baku had “the full right” to start the Karabakh peace talks from scratch.
“We can discuss the principles of the negotiating process only when they are accepted by both sides. Today, there is no principle for the Karabakh settlement that would be accepted by both sides, which means that Azerbaijan has the full right to start everything from scratch,” Guliyev said.
Earlier, on December 11, 2003 Guliyev gave an interview to Mediamax, in which he noted:
Vilayat Guliev “Presidents Heidar Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan tried to find ways to settle the Karabakh conflict, and none of us knows what they agreed on, as the results of their talks were not documented. Therefore, Armenia and Azerbaijan did not assume any obligations, and Ilham Aliyev may start from scratch and have new demands and approaches.”
Touching on Guliyev’s remarks, Armenian MFA Spokesman Hamlet Gasparyan said on February 13:
“If Azerbaijan wants to begin the negotiatiom process from scratch, it must address solely Stepanakert. That is, if the latter agrees.”
Shavarsh Kocharyan: They are trying to split the opposition
On the same day member of the “Justice” group of Armenian parliament Shavarsh Kocharyan said that Armenian authorities sensed the danger of the opposition boycotting parliament sessions.
Kocharyan claimed that the authorities were undertaking a range of measures aimed at “preventing the rise of the masses”, such as “separate provocations meant for splitting the opposition”. Additionally, according to him, the authorities were trying to incite the opposition to anti-constitutional actions, but the opposition politicians “would not yield to these tricks”.
“The authorities in the face of Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan can see that their days are counted,” said the MP.
In 2008, after Serzh Sargsyan was elected President of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He still holds that position.
• 10 YEARS AGO: FEBRUARY 11-17, 2009
Sargsyan and Gul discuss their dialogue
The Armenian and Turkish leaders spoke about the Yerevan-Ankara dialogue on February 12, 2009.
While speaking at the congress of Prosperous Armenia Party, Serzh Sargsyan said that Armenia intended to continue the dialogue aimed at “establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey without preconditions and lifting of the blockade of the border”.
Sargsyan was certain that Armenia should have normal relations with Turkey and “there is a good opportunity for that today, which we should use”.
In an interview to Russian Vesti TV channel, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said he hoped that his last year’s visit to Yerevan “not only launched the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, but also contributed to normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.
“I believe that my visit to Yerevan not only launched the process of normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, but that it will also contribute to normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At that I would like to express deep gratitude to Russia for tireless assistance to the search for ways to untie those complex knots,” said President Gul.
• 5 YEARS AGO: FEBRUARY 11-17, 2014
The cancelation of Nymphomaniac
On February 12, 2014 Cinema Star Dalma Garden Mall issued a statement regarding the cancellation of Nymphomaniac screenings.
Nymphomaniac’s poster“Cinema Star Dalma Garden Mall decided to cancel the screening of Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, which was announced earlier. The long-awaited premiere was scheduled for February 13, simultaneously with the world premiere of the film. The decision is conditioned by numerous objections of a number of citizens and public groups who thought it was not appropriate to show the movie on the silver screen in Armenia,” the statement read.
Geghamyan’s book
On February 11 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan attended the presentation of the book by leader of National Unity Party Artashes Geghamyan, which was titled “Armenia in the Customs Union: The beginning of irreversible changes in South Caucasus”.
Serzh Sargsyan and Artashes Geghamyan in 2014 Photo: Photolure
Ara Tadevosyan
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