Armenia’s Graparak offends at Azerbaijan’s Caliber.Az

A small article entitled "Armenian minister not against Azerbaijan’s Karabakh" was published on Azerbaijan’s Caliber.Az website on April 16. It included the excerpts from an interview with Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan to local "Graparak" newspaper. Of course, we guessed that the news of Caliber.Az website is being thoroughly studied and analysed in Armenia, as well as by Armenian journalists, but we did not assume that the journalists are very impressionable, and sensitive. This also refers to Graparak newspaper.

The same correspondent of Graparak newspaper Vahe Makaryan, who literally forced Anahit Avanesyan for giving an interview, wrote an answer the next day, on April 17. Makaryan wrote that allegedly the Azerbaijani media closely follows the news of the Armenian media, including the articles of "Graparak" newspaper, and makes such analysis that is only beneficial to Azerbaijan. 

“This proceeds only from the interests of the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities,” Makaryan wrote. 

The Armenian journalist added that in their analyses, referring to the internal Armenian processes, forces and personalities directed against the transfer of Karabakh region to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani news websites use the same theses, lexical elements as the Armenian authorities and the ruling Civil Contract party.

“This once again shows that all the steps which are taken by the Armenian authorities proceed solely from the interests of Azerbaijan, rather than the Republic of Armenia,” Makaryan wrote.

“Thus, the Azerbaijani Caliber.Az website took our interview with Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, in which we tried to know about her position on Karabakh region,” Makaryan wrote.

“Caliber.Az website made its own conclusion about this topic. Avanesyan did not say that she was against seeing Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, while the article was entitled "Armenian minister not against Azerbaijan’s Karabakh”. 

“Of course, neither Armenian Minister Anahit Avanesyan nor her political leadership will feel bad, will feel ashamed, but we are ashamed that Azerbaijani websites have drawn such appropriate conclusions from the interview of the Armenian minister of health,” Graparak wrote. 

Of course, Caliber.Az has drawn relevant conclusions from Avanesyan's interview regarding her position on Karabakh region. 

Although Anahit Avanesyan is just the minister of health, nevertheless, her answers reflect the attitude of the Armenian authorities to the ongoing processes between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Caliber.Az is interested at this moment in the whole interview. It would be illogical not to pay attention to them when Baku is sending clear messages to Yerevan regarding the conclusion of a peace agreement. 

It is also quite obvious that Avanesyan, being a member of the Armenian government, namely, a member of the "social bloc" of the government, is well aware that further escalation of the situation is harmful to Armenia, which is already in a difficult social and economic situation. Caliber.Az drew attention to her unwillingness to follow the provocations of the Graparak newspaper correspondent? What's wrong with the fact that we drew attention to her unwillingness to play along with the provocations of the correspondent of "Graparak"? 

By the way, our readers may wonder where in the publication of "Graparak" resentment is traced to Caliber.Az? We answer - in the final part of the publication of the Armenian edition. 

"This Azerbaijani media in its article touched upon the author of the interview, expressing certain "characteristic" thoughts about the journalist and the media. In particular, the site wrote: "Media correspondent Vahe Makaryan clearly sympathizes with the "former" and joins the camp of revanchists." 

It should be noted that the same vocabulary and wording are used by the Armenian authorities, that we sympathize with the former Armenian leaders, whom we have criticized for ten years, and belong to the "revanchist camp". By "revanchists" the Azerbaijani press means the opposition," Makaryan wrote.

"Certain thoughts" about Makaryan's personality and political preferences appeared to us not from scratch, but after reviewing the interview, where the interviewer persistently provoked his interviewee, trying to get an answer that suits him. We also studied his latest publications, that is, our statements were not unfounded.

If our Armenian colleague refuses to recognize the obvious reality of Karabakh, if he, like the "former [Armenian] leaders", dreams of revenge, then what camp should he belong to? Everything is obvious here. It is unclear why does he take offence at the evidence?