Sassounian: Karabagh War Comes to Hollywood, Courtesy of Azerbaijan

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabagh (Artsakh) should not give free license to anyone to make racist and insulting statements about people on the other side of the border. Even under war conditions, there are civilized norms of behavior.

Since these two neighboring countries are in the midst of delicate negotiations to resolve their thorny conflict, it is highly irresponsible to pour oil on the fire by inciting inter-ethnic and inter-religious hatred, and inflaming pent-up emotions! While some Armenians may engage in periodic emotional outbursts, Azerbaijan’s leaders have elevated the making of racist statements and anti-Armenian threats into state policy.

Such despicable behavior has caused the Artsakh conflict to spill over into Hungary (by using an axe), Mexico (by offering a $5 million bounty for Aliyev’s statue with an anti-Armenian plaque in a park), and many other countries around the world, thousands of miles away from the actual theater of conflict.

The Azeris have now decided to fight the Artsakh war in Hollywood, after Armenia officially submitted for an Oscar an innocuous film titled “If Only Everyone,” in the category of Best Foreign Film. The movie’s American premiere was held last Saturday at the ARPA International Film Festival in Hollywood.

The Armenian movie depicts the story of a young Russian girl whose father was killed during the Artsakh War. Twenty years later, she comes to Armenia hoping that the commander of her father’s military unit will help locate his unmarked grave. After a lengthy search, the young girl discovers that her father’s grave lies on the other side of the border, in Azerbaijan. She and the Armenian commander cross the frontline surreptitiously in the cover of darkness and, while planting a birch tree by her father’s grave, are confronted by an armed Azeri shepherd who threatens to shoot them. Upon learning that the girl’s father is buried there, the Azeri lets them go safely after telling them, with a heavy heart, that his 10-year-old son also died during the war after stepping on a landmine. The Azeri shepherd says that he is unable to visit his son’s grave because it is located inside Artsakh. The movie ends on a high note with a wonderful gesture, when the Russian girl and her Armenian companions plant another tree, this time next to the young Azeri boy’s grave.

Even though the movie neither contains anti-Azeri rhetoric nor depicts any scenes of the Karabagh War, Azerbaijani journalists have harshly attacked it without having seen a single clip. Apparently, the fact that it was an Armenian film was enough reason for them to try and undermine its submission to the Academy Awards. The Azeri media falsely labeled the movie a “propaganda film” and an example of “the information war unleashed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.”

To make matters worse, Ali Hajizade, an Azeri journalist, attacked Teni Melidonian, the publicist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for simply being of Armenian heritage! As part of her official duties, she had issued a press release that named all 71 foreign countries that had submitted movies for the Foreign Language Film category, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

It is important for Azeris to understand that such racist remarks have no place in civilized society. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan needs to be resolved through peaceful negotiations, not by hurling xenophobic insults.

Someday, when peace returns to the region, Armenians and Azeris will have to live side by side, not as enemies, but as neighbors and friends. Azeris who are engaged in sowing seeds of hatred and racism are not only besmirching their own reputation, but unnecessarily aggravating and prolonging the antagonism between the two peoples.

Fortunately, Armenians have refrained from retaliating against the film submitted by Azerbaijan to the Oscars. Political feuds should not be converted into cultural wars or personal vendettas. May the best movie win, regardless of whether it is produced by an Armenian, an Azeri, or a Turk. The Academy will announce the short list of nine films in the Foreign Language Film category on Dec. 20; the five finalists on Jan. 10, 2013; and the Oscar winner on Feb. 24, 2013.

“If Only Everyone” is co-produced by Tereza Varzhapetyan and award-winning actor and director Michael Poghosyan, who plays the role of the retired Armenian commander. Natalia Belyauskene is the director, and Ekaterina Shitova plays the role of the young Russian girl. The movie was screened in Yerevan, Moscow, Paris, Bucharest, and Hollywood, and has won several awards at international film festivals.

Harut Sassounian

Harut Sassounian

California Courier Editor
Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated to Armenia and Artsakh one billion dollars of humanitarian aid, mostly medicines, since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He has been decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

26 Comments

  1. The Azeri leaders and journalists have resorted to projecting their own actions onto Armenians, in addition to racism.

    “the information war unleashed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.”

  2. Aliev the son of his almost dictator father still rsorts to non ethical forms of political approach to carry out his anti Armenian sentiment. The Azeri government is corrupt and their midia is even worse.

  3. This article represents the state of the region of Caucases which is very vonurable to external intervention or even take over. Even Georgia is in disaggreement with Armenia and Azeris over territorial rights.

    More than the other two, Azerbaijan is taking drastic political and non-ethical measures which are starting to shed light to their deviant intentions. the Azeris do this because they think they can get away with it since the international community is ignring them and are focused on other regions such as syria.

    But, hope that when the world is serious about this it wont be because of a catastrophic event that would cost the rigion a long term crisis. Because then it might be too late or will set back progress at a retarded pace.

  4. If it wasn’t for the Nagorno-Karabakh war and the ensuing Armenian occupation, Azerbaijani nationalism would have been equal to the other four Turkic nations and thus almost non-existant. Azerbaijani nationalism developed on account of the conflict and today we can talk about Azerbaijan and Turkey as one nation, two states and the realisation of pan-Turanism. This was almost shatered to the fiasco of the 2009 accord, but fate and luck would have it that it was not ratified and the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey was not completely destroyed.

    Furthermore, Mr Sassounian is very crafty and hypocratical he writes about Armenians and Azerbaijanis living as neighbours and friends, but also writes “All too often, land is taken by force. Since Armenia is not militarily more powerful than Turkey, and is not expected to be so anytime soon, Armenians have to wait for unforeseen developments to occur in and around Turkey—such as civil war, global or regional conflict, revolution, Kurdish insurrection, natural disaster, or nuclear catastrophe—that bring about a power vacuum and possible border changes in that part of the world. Meanwhile, Armenians have to keep alive and transmit their territorial demands to future generations until the opportune moment…” One cannot simultaneously preach friendship and prepare future generations for war.

    The main reason there is no peace in the region is due to Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani land and Armenia’s hostility towards Turkey. When Armenians realize that, it is them that is the main obstacle to peace by reconciling with Azerbaijan and accepting Turkey’s borders than and only than can we have peace and live as neighbours. Until that day comes, Armenians who are unfortunate to live in Armenia will continue to have a per capita income three times smaller than Turkey’s.

    • Tuna, please read a independent history book. Those lands were never rightfully Azeri. Stalin gave those Armenian lands to Azerbaijan. So it doesn’t mean that from then out out its considered “historical Azeri lands”. Those are historical Armenian Lands.

      Please also admit that your country lost a war it started. Why never any mention of the path to war? You know, the pogroms in Baku and Sumgait? Armenian being burned in the streets and pregnant women thrown from buildings? Those are factual historical occurrences. Followed by the bombing of Steppanakart for aver a month straight? Your side lost the war IT STARTED.

      Those lands are Armenian. Always will be.

    • Tuna:

      The main reason there is no peace in the region is that your nomadic Turkic ancestors left their homeland in East and Central Asia, about where today’s Muslim Uygurs of China live (confirmed by your FM Davutoglu), and invaded en masse the homeland of my ancestors in South Caucasus and the Armenian Highlands. Every act of subsequent bloodshed flows from that illegal, violent act of your nomadic ancestors: invading the lands of sedentary people, including my ancestors – the Armenians. 3,000 kilometers West of where your ancestors originally dwelled.
      The lands that did not belong to your ancestors. You guys have no rights to our lands. None.

      The main reason there is no peace in the region is that majority progeny of those nomadic invading Turkic tribes have not changed their thinking a whole lot in 1000 years: they still want every last Armenian exterminated and gone from their homeland in South Caucasus, after having successfully exterminated every last Armenian from their continuously inhabited homeland of 5,000+ years in Western Armenia.

      And the progeny of those nomadic Turkic invaders, with no sense of guilt or embarrassment whatsoever, openly claim that today’s Armenia is also, quote, “Turkish land”.
      Here:
      {“Armenians in the Caucasus are alien people who created their artificial state on native Turkish lands, and therefore they have no right to talk about their ancient roots in the region.”

      The statement came from the Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey, Haluk Ipek.”}
      This was said, btw, a couple of months ago, in the year 2012.

      And when you, Tuna Tangor write that you are “really happy” that a sleeping Armenian man was hacked to death by the savage progeny of invading savage Turkic tribes, do you think you have a leg to stand on criticizing Mr. Sassounian for anything ?

      You did write that you are “really happy” that a defenseless, sleeping Armenian man was hacked to death by an Axeri psyaxopath murderer (paraphrased):
      Yes ?
      You did advocated that Azerbaijan INVADE the ancient land of Armenians – the land of Artsakh aka Nagorno Karabagh Republic, to quote “restore honor”:
      Yes ?

    • No, it will have to be up to Azerbaijan to re-examine their (very recent) Pan-Turkist history and own up to the fact that, while they are speakers of a Turkic language, they are also inheritors of a Turco-Persian legacy, Shia (!) Muslims, and made up of a melange of ethnic groups (Lezgin, Talysh, Udi, Tat, Kurds, etc). Their attempts to homogenize and “Azerify” the population is genocidal in nature. What they did to Armenian cross stones in Nakhichevan (are they ever going to let impartial observers survey the damage, btw?) they would gladly due to actual Armenian people, and it has been a policy in Azerbaijani academia to dehumanize and deny the history of Armenians throughout the Caucasus. The international community overlooks the genocidal state policies of Azerbaijan for now because of the petrol, but it will certainly have to be addressed in the future.

      Per capita income? So what? Why would Armenians forsake the history and suffering of their ancestors during the genocide (the actual reason the border is closed) just to have access to cheap Turkish goods? It’s not like eastern Turkey is some economic powerhouse. The hostility will remain as long as Turks deny the historical truth and Azerbaijan continues to embrace Pan-Turkism. Why would Armenia willingly cooperate with two states that have and will always threaten and deny its existence?

    • The Karabakh war happened because Majority Armenian poppulation didn’t get full rights from the government. Also, when you talk about nationalism, turkic expansion is nationalism on its own and turkish/Azeri nationalism is and has been the for runner of Turkic nations to lead them to Pan-Turanism.
      Before Karabakh war Azerbaijan was in the Soviet Territory just like Armenia and nationalism in soviet republic was merged with Communist ideology. Why would either country have their own specific separate nationalism and if they did, movement were short lived.
      Second, why would Azeris whose country was stablished in 1918, with oil, gas, caspean sea access, and Nakhijevan which werent on the map as Azerbaijan prior to the treaty which created it be nationalistic? They were prospering as the main provider of oil for which Armenian and other republics solders fought to protect during WWII.
      But, the coexistance of Armenians and Azerbaijanese wasn’t always so peaceful. And the Azeris did do their part to damage Armenian historic sites in their borders and use the stones to built houses and schools instead of restoring them in both Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan exclave which had Armenian history as long as antiquity.
      The war over karabakh was to save millions from oppression from the Azeri rulers over majority of its poppulation to drive the Armenians out just like they did with Nakhijevan decades before it.
      What prompted this was the renwal of nationalism at the climax of Iron kertain.

      The thing with Pan-Turanic beliefs is that it is the only thing original to Turkics as part of their Turkish heritage, beside few other things. Besides that, the Turkis borrowed everything else. Pan- turanism is still alive because the Turkish identity is a recent one and it represents the last of the major empires, which fought in the midest of Europe’s enlightnment and questioning human rights. In this case the Ottomans broke every one of them and drove native out of their home land.

      Also, Azeris don’t need to be nationalist because of Armenia taking Karabakh. The southrnely nearbor, Iran has about 25 million Azeris which the Azerbaijan government claims to be opressed. As of yet I have never heard of Azeri in Iran complaining. And the reason is clear, Azerbaijan is not satisfied with oil in caspean sea and the other bonuses they got from the Bulshevics, they want Tabriz, and the who south Azerbaijan.
      So then, I gues the Azeri fate is sealed in their nationalistic inclinations regardless of what specific historic events unfold.

    • Tuna, world press freedom ranked your beloved dictatorial Sheikhdom, 162 among 179 entrees, Turkey 148, and Armenia 77…do you know what Tatar-Turks hiding from their own population?? IF you know the right answer, then I consider you a smart and updated none brainwashed Turk, but in the meanwhile you have all the rights to dream and send your thoughts, for AW!!

    • “And when you, Tuna Tangor write that you are “really happy” that a sleeping Armenian man was hacked to death by the savage progeny of invading savage Turkic tribes, do you think you have a leg to stand on criticizing Mr. Sassounian for anything ?”

      And here I thought I was debating with someone who possesed some intelligence. I already told you once, I do not need to hide behind letters to express my feelings. If I think it was good that a man was murdered in his sleep, I would write that and sign of with my name. Not the letter t.

      “{“Armenians in the Caucasus are alien people who created their artificial state on native Turkish lands, and therefore they have no right to talk about their ancient roots in the region.”

      Now lets come to this statement by Mr. Haluk Ipek. Now I am no fan of the AKP, but here he is right on. Now I as an educated person can see that this is in fact not true, becuase the Armenians were here before us, but when conserning the general public more of these statements must be made. Every Turkish citizen should be made aware that Armenians are our enemies. And I came to this conclusion mainly through this site and the Armenians who administer their opinions on it.

      And when you, Tuna Tangor write that you are “really happy” that a sleeping Armenian man was hacked to death by the savage progeny of invading savage Turkic tribes, do you think you have a leg to stand on criticizing Mr. Sassounian for anything ?

      Oh I criticize him for being a hypocrite. Which I think he is, I couldn’t keep a straight face when I read “Someday, when peace returns to the region, Armenians and Azeris will have to live side by side, not as enemies, but as neighbors and friends.”

      And Avery if you want me to take you seriously and not as a ghastly troll do not accuse me with things I haven’t wrote.

    • According to you Armenians killed 1.5 million Turks. And we must recognize that. And maybe you never ever have known the fact that Armenians used to be the majority in Nakhijevan less than hundred years ago and were forced out of it during soviet period. And even due Karabakh used to be part of Azerbaijan, it was majority Armenian. That makes the calim over Karabakh kind of odd, but Azerbiajan wants all the 1918 lands. And who decided who gets what after WWI? not Azeris and not Armenians.

      And exactly what does Azerbaijan do with what used to be Armenian inside their present day borders? 2005, desicration of our midevel cemetary inside Nakhievan. And if thats one act of such scale then there is more that came before that. Examples of which are the stones of churches removed to make schools and homes.

      And for your superiority bragings: Stop this Youtube comparisons, acting like a troll on this Article. This common comparison won’t get you anywhere just because Turkey has a major inclination towards Chinese style, reverse engineering industries. We might have three times less per capita income, but it is for a country that has geographically 20 times less advantage than Turkey. So, don’t get too exited, since Turkey is definatly not first in any part of ginus world record. As a matter of fact, Turkey’s infrastructure and health systems aren’t so shabby. And Turkey’s whole economic growth is based on cheap labor and tourism rather than the blessing and good appeal of Turkish society and politics.

      The only reason Turkey has advantage is NATO and its strategic appeal to United States.

  5. To Tuna
    Counter chronologically>/
    1many times over it has been explained to you and yours that Artsakh*Nagornyii karabagh Armenians did not start hostilities but your little brothers of Axerbaijan.latter has its own problems,thus.
    If great Turkey has the very thick problem of 16/18 millions kurds ,then Azerbaijan has Lenkoranis *Persian,Daghestanis and other ethnicities that make up quite a number of therir so numbered 8/9 million…
    Land that you mention -imagine as Axerbaijani land has been armenian for millenia,occupied mainly by Armenians some 85%,Axerbaaijanis ,a minority,that came in as herdsmen and settled there.
    As to great Turkey area Armenian land,why don’t you open your eyes and see, how your Govt. “allowed”” mass to be celebfrated in both AGHTAMARA AND SOURP GIRAGOSA…..were these acts PERFORMANCE OF AS MAGICIAN-THOSE YOU COME ACROSS IN CIRCUSES and theaters.
    I do believe you are either very ignorant ion this rfespect and/*or pretend to be so and try to anger us.We are not so easily to be hectic.Your should not forget that the Armenians have been able to live on for over 3000 years in the area,whereas many a nation have come and gone.
    As Mr. Sassouniamn predicts,or rather brings examplesw that some elements might in future change the geographic map in the area,which indeed may happen ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN THESE DAYS.One actuall, most probable being the creation of a K U R D I S T A N!!!!!!
    As to little brother Axerbaijan , it is there to be seen as a toy in the hands of the energy hungry Giants.Here today gone tomorrow.You want to further discuss such hypothetic issues such as you have been setting FWD,then you are welcome.We are here to respond to you and clarify matters.

    • You have interesting views, but I really don’t see an Arab spring like situation happening in Turkey. Because one must first ask how many Kurds support the PKK.

    • Tuna:

      73 percent of the Soviet people, excluding several republics whose governments boycotted the referendum, have voted against the dissolution of the USSR, an incomparably mightier state than Turkey. Yet, the USSR disintegrated for a variety of reasons. And you’re talking about the number of Kurds not supporting the PKK as if it will save Turkey if tomorrow Kurds, as a nation, are promised their sovereign state according to the Treaty of Sevre? Armenians are not far away even though you ilk has physically mass exterminated them. Their cause is alive and valid, and your government knows this!

  6. I have a question for Armenians here. When was the last time that Armenians officially owned the land that has since been part of Turkey? I am not familiary with this part of the history. Who for example owned the land before Ottomons came? Persians? Ok, then rewind further back, past the persians, etc, to the time when the land was INDEPENDENT of all foreign ownership.

    As you think of an answer, also try to explain to me the difference between owning a land and living on it. E.g., suppose I own an appartment building and I rent it out. Buglarians settle in, and live there fore 10 or even 100 generations. Does the apartment ever become theirs?

    Also, what is, so to speak, the statue of limitations? How far back exactly does one have to go before one’s historical claims to that land become invalid? 5000 years? 50000 years?

    As we know, Turks have owned the territory of modern Turkey for about 1000 years ago. When is it time for Armenians to stop claimig it THEIRs?

  7. Armenians have a greater chance to occupy our ancestral homeland than PKK creates a Kurdistan in Turkey with a few thousand of men and women so dream on to satisfy your ego

    • Turk:

      You mean your ancestral lands in the Mongolian steppes near the Altai Mountains?

      P.S. Might it be that you picked up the idea of a ridiculous symbiosis of the sacred Christian name “John” with an ethnonym “turk” in the same ancestral lands while sheep- and horse-breeding?

    • Armenians reminds you people, but it seems to me don’t get to your Turkish head, your ancestral land is called Mount Altai in central Asia, where none islamized turkic tribes were having way of peaceful life there, with their pony horses and camels…our past historical civilization and destroyed churches indicate, Armenians present at least 4000 years, before uncivilized Islamized Mongol turk attack, to Asia Minor (Anatolia) and Byzantine Empire, now figure it out for yourself, that why you are a john, Turk!!!

  8. To John turk,
    Why are you so concerned then with the kurds.If they are not a menace or a problem at all, then let them loose.let them have their own Autonomous Gov.t
    Speak and write their own Tongue , have their own teaching cnetres…
    Armenians will not*if that comes to pass OCCUPY your lands-you write our lands- they will be there as Lawfull owners,like my father’s gradnfathers house,workshop etc., and a million others’…that is not occupying but regaining .
    We -in my viewpoint should not prioritize this issue-leet it ripen by itself, i.e., through Kurds..Our MAIN ISSUE IS CLAIM B L O O D M O N E Y.
    BLOOD OF THOSE INNOCENTS SHED BY OTTOMAN TURKEY and Kemalist Turkey.
    Land issue ccan wait. One more thing John turk,we are there to be THERE for good,as neighbours.You cannot*YOU TRIED, erase us from face of earth..so try to become more realistic anad more HUMANE….
    aRMENIANS WOULD WELCOME A COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED TURKEY.
    Fact is our pres. Sargsyan tried that with your pres. Gul at the football match!!
    come to compromise ASAP.Time is awasting.We could collaborate like Germany and the REst of Europe and above all Jewry/Israel…
    Learn from Germany come kneel down at Tsitzernakabert and pray..
    Jemal Pashas grandson did that and a few others.
    Come down from the clouds…no nation in the neighbourhood is has been as close to you guys as the Armenians!!!
    others-get this straight-are more accomodating that all others!!!
    They may be of you religion but then it stops there.
    Your mr. Erdogan tried hard to pursuade the Arabs to come under his umbrella or …other…no dice!!!
    Think over it and pass it on to your compatriots. You are getting EASY MONEY even now fromn Oil Transit in the neighbourhood of 1.6 billion dollars a year, or it might have increaseed.last I read that it was in the petroleum journal or some such 2 /3 yrs ago….
    So how about parting some of that with us as BEGINNING RIGHT NOW,to begin to compensate for Blood shed by your ancestors of ionnocent Armenians!!!

  9. Dear Armenians, what % chances do you there there are that what you call Ararat would ever be part of Armenia in the next 100 years? I say 0.001! So please dont waste your or others’ time. Find a better day-dreaming topic

    • Dear Kerim:

      it is our time to waste, so why do you care ?

      and chances are better than 50/50 it will be in Armenian hands in the next 100 years. chances are 100% it will be, temporarily, in Kurdish hands next 100 years.

      there was a Western intelligence assessment that just came out, predicting Turkey will breakup during the next 30 years.

      If you are young enough, you will have the immense pleasure of witnessing it, Kerim.

  10. Who said we are only after Ararat___
    We are after Igdir mava,Kars Ardahan,VAN*AKHTAMARA CHURCH-MONAASTERY ,Sourp Giragaosa at Diarbakira…on to Yerznga….
    But that can wait.,
    We want BLOOD MONEY NOW!!! from Oil transit revenues….you receive bypassing us eh____

    • Turks love to compare themselves with their beloved American masters!!
      People like Kerim agha, and other intellectual Turks, can read and digest, that what we Armenians talking about!! Please see the links below for those who are against blood money!!

      U.S. finalizes $3.4 billion settlement with American Indians..

  11. GB,
    You are the only person who has <FINALLY seconded me.Even in that round about fashion,which is O.K. with me.
    WE HAVE TO CONVINCE OUR SO CALLED LEADERSHIP OR SO CALLED POLITICIANS THAT b l o o d m o n e y is and should be
    FIRST ON THE AGENDA OF OUR C L A I M from great Turkey!!!
    land is there it will not pull the DISAPPEARING ACT!!!
    Kurds are fast sitting on it,purdy little turks there(probably as genderms and Gov. functionaries).
    We must push FWD the CLAIM FOR b.MONEY.period!!!
    Hope the Tashnaks, Hunchaks Ramgavars and all other so plus our clergy will graspt that.
    Public awareness in this connection is DEAD IM`PORTANT IN OUR PRESS and other Media too.!

  12. {“And Avery if you want me to take you seriously and not as a ghastly troll do not accuse me with things I haven’t wrote.”}

    Tuna Tangor:

    Henceforth, I will do my best to be a good troll, instead of a ghastly troll.
    I promise.
    And there is nothing more important in my life than to strive for a Turk guest like you to take me seriously: so I will try my best to gain your serious approval.

    And your unconvincing denial and illogical explanation for your outrageous celebration of the murder of a sleeping Armenian man is too comical for serious consideration.

    You wrote it: there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence it was you.

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