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London disappoints Yerevan

9 February 2015 18:59 (UTC+04:00)
London disappoints Yerevan

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

As Armenia is planning to mark the centennial of the so-called "Armenian genocide", a century-long myth, the officials in charge of the country believe that the event will be unforgettable with the participation of the world's leaders.

But, despite the official invitation letters sent by Yerevan, many of the world's top rulers have been unwilling to visit Armenia on April 24.

An official reply to Yerevan's invitation from London has deeply disappointed Armenia. Prime Minister David Cameron will not join the officials to visit the "genocide museum" - Tsitsernakaberd - in Yerevan. Cameron has rejected to land on the South Caucasus country on April 24, Katherine Leach, UK Ambassador to Armenia, said on February 6.

"He replied to say that he understood the huge importance of the centenary year for Armenia and Armenians all over the world, and he regretted he wasn’t able to be here in person," Leach said.

However, Leach added that the Church of England will send representatives to the centennial ceremony.

"The names of the representatives to be representing the UK in Yerevan are still unknown, but they will be made public soon,” she added.

Asked whether Cameron will visit Turkey to attend the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle, Leach said she had no information about it.

"But there will be certainly a high level British involvement in the ceremony, because many soldiers died in Gallipoli," she noted.

Turkey has decided to arrange a solemn ceremony to mark the centennial of the Battle of Chanakkale (Gallipoli) on April 24, which coincides with the date of the so-called "Armenian genocide." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even invited his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to attend the ceremony, who, in turn, rejected that invitation recalling his same calling on Erdogan to participate in the celebration of the "genocide" anniversary.

Meanwhile, the Turkish media reported that Prince Charles of Britain will be among the guests of Erdogan. Leach said she had no confirmed information on the Prince's visit, saying she had seen the reports in Turkish media.

Cameron's rejection to share sorrow of the falsified "Armenian genocide" has sparked a fury in the Armenian media.

ArmenianReport, a local media outlet, claimed that the UK premier decided not to sacrifice the relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey for the sake of Armenia. It also said that he will be in Ankara instead of Yerevan on April 24, as because the battle of Gallipoli claimed the lives 119,000 Britons, and it is Cameron's sacred duty to pay homage to their memories.

Furthermore, dispatching a delegation from the church somehow shows the preference of the UK between two commemoration events on the same date. The British leadership sees more important to be in Turkey for paying tribute to its soldiers died hundred years ago in Gallipoli than listening to a story about a so-called and unproven "genocide" against Armenians.

In addition, Turkey is a possible member of the European Union and an indispensable player with its irreplaceable significance both in the global arena and the Middle East region. The modern Europe, including the UK needs Turkey as part of its international policy.

Armenia, in turn, is an aberrant on the European integration process since September 2013 following its President Serzh Sargsyan's surprising announcement about opting for Russia over Europe. It is a member of the Russia-led trade bloc Eurasian Economic Union, which is viewed as Russian President Vladimir Putin's alternative to the European Union.

In this context, significance of Turkey outshines Armenia's attractiveness for the European giant. If Armenia remains low in Cameron's agenda, it is the result of the Armenian leadership's poor political skills, and subsequently Sargsyan regime should rethink before counting on the Europe's big powers and also before entering into a "genocide" war with Turkey with no real facts at hand.

Meantime, it'd be better to recall the words by Gerard Araud, the French Ambassador to the U.S: "Holocaust is a fact, but the ‘Armenian genocide’ is just a historical opinion."

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Follow Mushvig Mehdiyev on Twitter: @Mushviggo

Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNews

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