By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Azemedia new logo
  • Home
  • COP29
  • Opinion
  • News
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Climate and Ecology
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Interview
  • Science
  • Logistics-Transport
  • Gender
  • History
  • Defense
  • Karabakh
Aze.MediaAze.Media
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
  • Economy
  • Climate and Ecology
  • Energy
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Gender
  • Interview
  • Science
  • Logistics-Transport
  • History
  • Defense
  • Karabakh
  • Diaspora
  • Who we are
Follow US
© 2021 Aze.Media – Daily Digest
Aze.Media > Opinion > He passed away respected by Azerbaijanis and hated by Armenians: In memory of Georgi Vanyan
Opinion

He passed away respected by Azerbaijanis and hated by Armenians: In memory of Georgi Vanyan

AzeMedia
By AzeMedia Published October 17, 2021 9 Min Read 813 Views
1604737896 1604737821 1604737262 untitled 1
Georgi Vanyan

To say I feel sad is to say nothing. Georgi was one of those who dreamed of changing the world for the better, reconciling two warring peoples, Azerbaijanis and Armenians.

Unfortunately, Georgi never found understanding in his own country, among his compatriots. Look at all the articles in the Azerbaijani media reporting his untimely death with expressions of sadness and regret, look at Georgi’s Facebook feed, where the overwhelming majority of those offering their condolences are Azerbaijanis, followed by Georgians, then Europeans with whom he worked in the field of peacemaking, and only a couple of condolences from Armenians. Major Armenian media outlets ignored this sad news completely…

I met Georgi Vanyan in March 2011, when I came to Georgia at his invitation, together with my colleague and close friend Rizvan Huseynov, to cover a regular round of discussions within the Tekali process. I will not bore the readers with a detailed explanation of what this process is. Tekali is an Azerbaijani-populated Georgian village, located at the junction of the borders of Georgia, Azerbaijan (Shikhly village of Qazakh District) and Armenia (Berdavan village of Noyemberyan region). It was chosen by Georgi as a kind of bridge of friendship between the three peoples. His idea was to use this bridge to dispel the narrative about the ethnic incompatibility of Armenians and Azerbaijanis started by Robert Kocharyan and supported by Armenian jingoists.

In March 2011, on the Georgian side of the Krasny Most checkpoint, I first met Georgi in person (we had known each other otherwise for some time, as I had interviewed him and requested his comments on various issues of the Armenian-Azerbaijani agenda). They say that the first opinion usually forms in the first minutes of face-to-face communication. This is exactly how it was with us: open, friendly, smiling his slightly sad smile, Georgi made a most positive impression on me. Despite the noticeable age gap between us, Georgi looked into my eyes and said right away, “Bahram, my dear man, we are not at a symposium, let’s talk casually.” Already on our way to Tbilisi, I was surprised to learn that as a child Georgi had spent more than one summer with his close relatives who lived in the former Shahumyan, now Goranboy District of Azerbaijan. He spoke about those years with great fondness. He also kept humming a simple tune from some Azerbaijani song popular in those years. “Man, what a good song the Azerbaijanis have. A whole verse of just one word: sən, sən, sən [“you, you, you”—Ed.],” Georgi smiled.

Of course, we could not ignore the topic of the Karabakh conflict either. Georgi said that he always asked the Armenians, who considered the occupied Azerbaijani territories their homeland, just one question: “If these are liberated territories, if this is your homeland, why did you completely destroy Agdam, Fizuli? Does one destroy one’s homeland?”

We—Rizvan Huseynov and I—spent that night telling Georgi about the genocide of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly. He listened very attentively: it was clearly not an attempt to please us, Azerbaijanis, but a genuine desire to find out the whole truth. He often interrupted us, asking questions, he shook his head, he smoked non-stop, and in the morning, he said that he had known practically nothing about what had happened in Khojaly on the night of February 26, 1992.

“They either don’t tell us about it in Armenia, or they present it in a completely different light. But what you told me is horrible. Azerbaijanis, please, forgive us,” Georgi said in a trembling voice…

Later, I met with him more than once in Georgia, covering the meetings of the Tekali process. And Georgi was sincerely happy every time he saw that journalists from Azerbaijan attended those meetings too.

“It’s essential that these events don’t remain little local get-togethers, it shouldn’t be just Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Georgians gathering and talking about this, and then going about their business. No, it’s important that Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists cover these discussions, get the idea that peace between the two peoples is possible across to their audiences,” Georgi would say.

Then there were his attempts to organize festivals of Azerbaijani films in Armenia. I remember how worried I, an Azerbaijani journalist, was when fascist Armenian thugs stormed into the Asparez Journalists Club to stop the screening of Azerbaijani films, and Georgi was subjected to psychological and physical abuse. I remember the protests Armenian nationalists launched in Yerevan and Gyumri back then, and I remember how, under pressure from the National Security Council, the owners of the establishments where Azerbaijani films were to be screened apologized to Georgi, saying they could not give him the venue…

In recent years, Georgi lived in harsh conditions in the countryside. But never for a minute did he stop his life’s work—the reconciliation of the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples. The Azerbaijani public, who appreciated his efforts and spoke about Georgi with respect, sincerely mourns the untimely passing of the Armenian human rights advocate and peacemaker. But his own country never saw his true value. The majority of the Armenian media cynically ignored Georgi Vanyan’s death, and the most rabid of them made do with an inhuman message: “Azerbaijani propagandist of Armenian origin Georgi Vanyan died in Georgia.”

It makes me so sad. It is sad that his compatriots chose to treat him this way. It is sad to think that such a radiant and pure person who gave his entire life to peace between our two peoples is no longer with us.

Bahram Batiyev

Translated from Caliber.Az

Aze.Media

You Might Also Like

The July strike that shattered Yerevan’s plans and launched the great war

Abu Dhabi as a new starting point for peace in the South Caucasus

How Türkiye views Azerbaijan-Russia tensions

First Erdoğan, then Aliyev: Yerevan admits there’s no one left to count on

The Abu Dhabi meeting — a historic breakthrough for the entire South Caucasus

AzeMedia February 4, 2022 October 17, 2021

New articles

Farhad 1086x724
The South Caucasus is forming its own line: Farhad Mammadov on regional transformation and external players
Interview July 14, 2025
Ap25193441575094 e1752327098296 640x400
Syrian and Israeli officials expected to meet in Azerbaijan during Sharaa’s visit
News July 12, 2025
Siriya baku scaled
President of Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa has arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit
News July 12, 2025
Fq39plpwwbcrz4c
Pakistani expert: “Iran’s future lies in the region, not in the West”
Interview July 12, 2025
24103d8e9b7f33e1c90d0b8f1f74c6af
The July strike that shattered Yerevan’s plans and launched the great war
Opinion July 12, 2025
Us Azerbaijan Relations
The United States has increased its investments in Azerbaijan’s economy
Economy News July 12, 2025
Abu dabi
Abu Dhabi as a new starting point for peace in the South Caucasus
Opinion July 12, 2025
Aliyev Putin August 18 2024 1536x948.jpg
How Türkiye views Azerbaijan-Russia tensions
Opinion July 12, 2025
2025 02 07t125243z 1023693602 rc2opca4d39r rtrmadp 3 azerbaijan russia 1751366812
Russia chooses a new tactic against Azerbaijan: three dangerous plans on the table
Interview July 11, 2025
Aliyev and pashinyan in abu dhabi 7 10 2025
First Erdoğan, then Aliyev: Yerevan admits there’s no one left to count on
Opinion July 11, 2025

You Might Also Like

24103d8e9b7f33e1c90d0b8f1f74c6af

The July strike that shattered Yerevan’s plans and launched the great war

July 12, 2025 6 Min Read
Abu dabi

Abu Dhabi as a new starting point for peace in the South Caucasus

July 12, 2025 14 Min Read
Aliyev Putin August 18 2024 1536x948.jpg

How Türkiye views Azerbaijan-Russia tensions

July 12, 2025 9 Min Read
Aliyev and pashinyan in abu dhabi 7 10 2025

First Erdoğan, then Aliyev: Yerevan admits there’s no one left to count on

July 11, 2025 6 Min Read
Abu dabi

The Abu Dhabi meeting — a historic breakthrough for the entire South Caucasus

July 10, 2025 8 Min Read
Mehdi sobhani

The Armenian ambassador in the body of an Iranian’: Who is using Mehdi Sobhani against Baku — and why

July 10, 2025 6 Min Read
Ria 8791119 preview

Turning point: will Aliyev and Pashinyan sign peace? And what will Russia do?

July 9, 2025 9 Min Read
E577090091f6462f8fb69f6e083a6c4e 1025335 1536x778

Azerbaijan’s regional leadership: Advancing sustainable development and connectivity through ECO co-operation

July 8, 2025 10 Min Read

Useful links

426082d1 a9e4 4ac5 95d4 4e84024eb314 pojkz91103g6zqfh8kiacu662b2tn9znit7ssu9ekg
Ab65ed96 2f4a 4220 91ac f70a6daaf659 pojkz67iflcc0wjkp1aencvsa5gq06ogif9cd0dl34
96e40a2b 5fed 4332 83c6 60e4a89fd4d0 pojkz836t9ewo4gue23nscepgx7gfkvx6okbbkasqo
759bde00 a375 4fa1 bedc f8e9580ceeca pq8mvb9kwubqf6bcadpkq5mz16nayr162k3j2084cg
aze-media-logo-ag1

We are a unique political and socio-cultural digest offering exclusive materials, translations from Azerbaijani media, and reprints of articles from around the world about Azerbaijan.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookies Policy

Email: editor@aze.media

© 2021 Aze.Media – Daily Digest
aze-media-logo1 aze-media-logo-ag1
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?