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18 The Armenian Reporter | September 6, 2008ArmeniaArmenia’s national soccer team set to face TurkeyArmenia’s soccerfederation dropsMount Ararat fromlogoby Armen HakobyanYEREVAN – “When you look at itrealistically, all the pressure is onTurkey,” Jan Poulsen, Armenia’shead coach, said in a news conferenceon December 4. “If you knowhow they played in 2008, and allthe facts of both countries, the favoriteis Turkey. Therefore the pressureis on Turkey.“I am aware that emotions, thehope of the people of Armenia isvery high for this match, but againI think our players will go out andplay as if it was Poland or Portugal,”he added. Armenia beat Poland andtied with Portugal last year. “Theyhave proven that they can do thisand I’m sure they can do it again.”Midfielder Levon Pachajyan,who usually plays for Sweden’s GAISclub, said he was “in very high spirits.I am in excellent physical conditionand I am anxiously waiting forthe game. All the talk surroundingthis game has not inhibited us inany way. We have been practicingtogether for four days now and wedon’t talk about that among theplayers.” He said the players perspectiveis that this is their game,and they are preparing for it likeany other match.The Armenian Reporter askedPachajyan what advice his familyhad given him. “Our family membershave placed orders for goals,victory, and dedication to theArmenia’s soccerplayers speak outOur staff correspondent Armen Hakobyanjoined other journalists atHrazdan stadium on December 4 tomeet with Head Coach Jan Poulsenand members of Armenia’s nationalsoccer team. Here are some quotesfrom the players and their coach.Karen Dokhoyan(Pyunik), defender“We are preparing for this gamelike we prepare for every game. Butbecause this game is against Turkey,the press and soccer fans have exaggeratedthings a bit. To be honest,that doesn’t bother us. We are professionalathletes and we must viewthese things calmly. I feel good. I amready. If the coach thinks that I canbe in the starting lineup, then I willplay. Our coach is very well aware ofour abilities. It is true that we are especiallywound up. The fact that wewill be playing in front of a full stadiumand against Turkey says it all.We are going into the match believingwe will win.”Roman Berezovsky(Khimki, Russia),goalkeeper“I am ready for the game. Whoeverplays in this kind of matchwill play even if they are injured;you have to go out there and giveit your best. Regarding all the commotionsurrounding the game, Ithink our coach made the best decisionto let us prepare in peace andonly today meet with journalists.It’s understandable; people want toknow what is going on.”game! They have passed on theirpositive energy to us. I know thatour compatriots also wish for thesame things. That is why we mustdo everything to make sure to realizetheir wishes.”Armenia’s teamintroduces changesOn September 2, Ruben Hairapetian,a Republican member of parliamentand president of the FootballFederation of Armenia, held apress conference to unveil the federation’snew logo and the team’snew uniform. Whereas the old logoconsisted of a soccer ball and a representationof Mount Ararat, thenew logo consists of Armenia’s coatof arms with a soccer ball and theletters FFA on a shield.The absence of Mount Ararat isstriking because the sudden changein logo was announced just days beforethe match between Armenia’s“We have to show that we can play even against the best teams”Jan Poulsen, Head Coach. Photos: Photolure.Robert Arzumanyan(Randers, Denmark),defender“The opposing team is strong andindividually they are well prepared.But that doesn’t interest me verymuch. We have to play our gamethe best we can. The overall moodof the team is very good. My moodis also very good.”Levon Pachajyan (GAIS,Sweden), midfielder“I am in very high spirits. I am inexcellent physical condition and Iam anxiously waiting for the game.All the talk surrounding this gamehas not inhibited us in any way. Wehave been practicing together forand Turkey’s national soccer teams.The Armenian Reporter asked Mr.Hairapetian whether the Turkishteam had objected to the Armenianfederation’s logo. “There wereno complaints about it or proteststhat would have sufficed for us tochange it,” he replied. “It is simplythat we had many complaints bysoccer fans that the logo was notbeautiful or good enough and itneeded to be changed. There wereno other protests. We just foundit expedient to place our country’scoat-of-arms instead.”Armenia’s coat-of-arms includesMount Ararat, as did the Sovieteracoat of arms. In the new FFAlogo, however, the soccer ball onthe shield obscures the part of thecoat of arms that includes MountArarat.A new team uniform was alsounveiled during the press conference.In place of the old uniform – ared jersey, blue shorts, and orangefour days now and we don’t talkabout that among the players. Thisis how we are viewing things: Thisis our game and we are preparingfor it like any other match.“Our family members haveplaced orders for goals, victory,and dedication to the game! Theyhave passed on their positive energyto us. I know that our compatriotsalso wish for the samethings. That is why we must doeverything to make sure to realizetheir wishes.”Jan Poulsen, HeadCoachLeft: RubenHairapetian.Photo: Photolure.Right: Theold logo ofthe FootballFederation ofArmenia, whichwas retiredthis week. Farright: The newlyunveiled logo ofthe FFA.“We have to show that we canplay even against the best teams.Having said that I think we havesocks – the players will now sporta red jersey, blue shorts, and redsocks. “There were complaints thatthe colors weren’t good,” Mr. Hairapetianclaimed. Red, blue, andorange are the colors of Armenia’sflag. “In my opinion, it is muchnicer now. If you look carefully youwill see the Armenian flag on theback of their jerseys,” he added, referringto a small flag near the napeof the players’ necks.Searching for Turkishfansa good team. In the six monthsthat I’ve been here we have hadimprovements. We have had somegood friendly matches. We will givethe favorite team a very tough runfor their money.“For me the important thing isthat we go out and we play as wellas we can and then we have totake it from there. You can lose inmany ways. You can lose by playingbadly and not having the rightattitude. If we go out there anddo our best then I am satisfied.Then maybe we need that little bitof luck, maybe.“As I told you, when you look atit realistically, all the pressure is onTurkey because if you know howthey played in 2008, and all thefacts of both countries, the favoriteAccording to FIFA rules, the hostcountry must set aside at least5 percent of its stadium ticketsfor fans traveling to their countryto watch the game. The Armenianside was thus obligated toset aside almost 3,000 tickets forpotential Turkish fans. Armenia’sfootball federation and the Armeniangovernment were morethan willing to comply with thiscondition. The Armenian governmenteven waived visa fees forany citizen of Turkey who wishedto travel to Yerevan to watch thegame. According to Mr. Hairapetian,they have been informedthat soccer fans will not be comingto Armenia. He said that Turkey’sfootball federation has onlyrequested 15 VIP tickets and 115tickets for members of the Turkishdelegation. As many as 100Turkish journalists are expectedto travel to Yerevan to cover thegame.Soccer fans would be barred frombringing banners into the stadiumthat make reference to the ArmenianGenocide or other “politicalissues,” he announced. “My wishis that we as a country and as apeople show that we are hospitable.I don’t want us to take measureswhich will not bring pride to ournation,” he said.He then declared, “History thathappened 100 years ago of courseis painful, but let’s not turn thismatch into a political show. This isfootball and it is desirable that weas a nation support our team andfind success.”Further politicizing the game, Mr.Hairapetian added, “In my opinion,we will send a much more seriousmessage by our victory than byhanging a few banners and makingproclamations.”Ticket prices for the match rangefrom 3000 drams ($10) to 10,000drams.fArmenia’s national soccer team prepares for the World Cup qualifying match with Turkey.is Turkey. Therefore the pressure ison Turkey. I am aware that emotions,the hope of the people of Armeniais very high for this matchbut again I think our players willgo out and play as if it was Polandor Portugal. They have proven thatthey can do this and I’m sure theycan do it again.“The role of the supporters is very,very important. Sometimes they’rethe twelfth man on the team. I dohope and wish that the supporterswill give their full support tothe team and if we are in difficultsituations, that’s when you feel thetrue support of your fans. I hopethe supporters will show fair playtoward the Turkish team.”“I know who I want to play, butI’m not going to tell you.” f
The Armenian Reporter | September 6, 2008 19ArmeniaTurkey’s Gül prepares for unprecedented visitn Continued from page building, stability, security, and cooperation,”Mr. Sargsian said.In recent days, Mr. Gül had a telephoneconversation with PresidentGeorge W. Bush. The main focusof the conversation was Georgiaand the situation in the Caucasusin general. “The two leaders alsotalked about their support for effortsto improve Turkish-Armenianrelations and the growing Turkish-Iraqirelationship,” GordonJohndroe, a spokesperson for theU.S. National Security Council saidon Tuesday. In Ankara, the presidentialpalace said Mr. Gül had informedMr. Bush about Ankara’sinitiative to create a Caucasus Stabilityand Partnership Platform.A difficult relationshipAnkara recognized the independenceof Armenia, Azerbaijan, andGeorgia in 1991. Whereas it establisheddiplomatic relations withTbilisi and Baku, it refused to doso with Yerevan, citing the declarationof independence adoptedon August 23, 1990, by Armenia’sSupreme Soviet (parliament), Article12 of which states, “Armeniasupports the efforts for the internationalrecognition of the 1915Genocide perpetrated in WesternArmenia by Ottoman Turkey.”The Turkish government officiallyclosed the border with Armeniain 1993, when the armed forcesof Karabakh took over Kelbajar,which was outside of the borders ofthe Soviet-era Nagorno-KarabakhAutonomous Region.Mr. Sargsian’s efforts to normalizerelations with Turkey is alsochampioned by the opposition ArmenianNational Congress, led byArmenia’s first president, LevonTer-Petrossian.“I can only welcome Gül’s invitation,especially because it is a convenientopportunity. There are nopolitical intrigues at play, only asporting event that may provide theconduit to begin melting the ice,” Mr.Ter-Petrossian said at a news conferenceon December 2. “It is strangethat no high-ranking Turkish officialhas ever come to Armenia. I wentto Turkey three times as Armenia’spresident and [former president]Robert Kocharian also went. Armenianpresidents have been in Turkeyfour times, and not one high-rankingTurkish official has ever been toArmenia. This is not a normal phenomenonnor is it normal relations,”Mr. Ter-Petrossian added.Serge Sargsianmeeting withUnal Cevikoz.Photo: Photolure.Protest planned“Turkey and Armenia are neighborsand there is no alternative toimproving relations between theArmenian and Turkish peoples,”Levon Mkrtchian, a member ofthe Bureau of the Armenian RevolutionaryFederation (ARF) and aformer minister of education, saidon Tuesday. “But dialogue can startonly in conditions of Turkey’s honestyand repentance. That is theguarantee for the security of therepublics of Armenia and Karabakh;that is the assurance that thepast will not be repeated.” The ARF,which is part of Armenia’s governingcoalition, planned a “civil andlaw-abiding” protest gathering atthe Zvartnots airport on Mr. Gül’sarrival, said the party’s Hrair Karapetian,a deputy speaker of theNational Assembly.Meanwhile, the unprecedentedvisit has the Turkish opposition upin arms. Deniz Baykal, the leaderof the Republican People’s Party,said “Turkey’s true friend was Baku,not Yerevan.”The Turkish press in recent dayshas been flooded with articles discussingthe possibility of Mr. Gül’svisit to Armenia and the future ofArmenian-Turkish relations.“The Turkish side (during Gül’svisit) will explain to Armenia itsplan to restore stability in the Caucasusregion and will invite Armeniato join it. Gül will also repeatTurkey’s proposal to establish ajoint committee composed of independenthistorians to study the1915–1917 incidents. Gül’s trip representsa key step towards endingalmost a century of animosity overthe massacre of Armenians underthe erstwhile Turkish OttomanEmpire,” the Turkish Daily Newswrote on September 3.The daily Sabah quoted Turkishnational team coach Fatih Terimas saying, “This is just a footballmatch, not a war.” The ultrasecularistdaily Cumhuriyet preferredto quote a retired ambassador assaying it is the “wrong timing fora visit.”On the front page of the probusinessHurriyet, the Turkish Industrialistsand Businessman’s Association(TÜSİAD) encouraged Mr.Gül to go to Armenia, while the Stardaily quoted Armenian businesspersonSamson Ozararat, who in1993 arranged a meeting betweenAlpaslan Türkeş, a notorious ultranationalistTurkish politician,and Mr. Ter-Petrosian, as saying:“It will be a big step even if they justsit and watch the match.”Mustafa Karaalioğlu, editorin-chiefof the Star daily, wrote inhis column on September 2 thatMr. Gül’s apparent decision to goto Yerevan is “an appropriate anddelayed decision.” Turkey shouldget rid of its taboos, both insideand outside of the country, Mr.Karaalioğlu wrote in his column,the headline of which read, “Gülmust go . . . just as Sezer, Demireland Özal should have gone,” listingthe names of former presidents.f“Turkey is treating us like unloving step-mother,” Gulizade saysAzerbaijan reacts toGül’s coming visitWASHINGTON – Turkey’s blockadeof Armenia is a centerpiece inAzerbaijani government’s effort topressure Armenia. It is not surprising,therefore, that every time thesubject of improved Armenia-Turkeyrelations comes up, Azerbaijanis irritated.In recent years Azerbaijan haspledged to spend hundreds of millionsof dollars toward the developmentof economically depressedeastern Turkey in order to diminishthe urgency for Turkey of openingthe Armenia-Turkey border. Payingfor the Kars-Akhalkalaki rail bypassand airline flights between Baku andKars have been part of this effort.More sentimentally, Azerbaijan hastried to emulate its ethnic cousinsand be a “little Turkey,” while paintingArmenians as a common “evil.”As Turkish president AbdullahGül’s decision to accept theinvitation from President SergeSargsian to visit Yerevan becamepublic, Turkish officials made aneffort to assure Azerbaijan thatthe visit does not signify a changein Turkey’s Armenia policy. Underthat policy, Turkey will not establishrelations with Armenia unlessArmenia agrees to concessions onthe issues of Karabakh and the acknowledgementof the ArmenianGenocide.Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarovof Azerbaijan arrived inAnkara for consultations on August29 and sought to downplay the extentof Azerbaijan’s anxiety, callingMr. Gül’s decision “Turkey’s internalmatter.” But reactions frommost Baku pundits laid bare theAzerbaijani establishment’s truefeelings.Vafa Gulizade, a former Sovietdiplomat who served, between 1991and 1999, as the architect of Azerbaijan’sforeign policy under threeof its four presidents, had in thepast called for Azerbaijan to mergewith Turkey into one state. Reactingto Mr. Gül’s upcoming visit, Mr.Gulizade complained, “Turkey istreating Azerbaijan as an unlovingstep-mother would treat her stepson,while Azerbaijan would wantto see Turkey as our true mother,”Day.az reported on September 1.Mr. Gulizade expressed hope thatthe Turkish president would keepAzerbaijan’s concerns in mindwhile visiting Yerevan.Ganira Pashayeva, a former TVanchor turned Majlis member whois close to the ruling Aliyev family,told APA.az on September 2 that“no Azerbaijani can agree to TurkishPresident’s visit to Armenia.This visit hurts us morally. That’swhy I will await till the last minutethat Abdullah Gul will refuse thevisit.” Ms. Pashayeva also remainedhopeful that Mr. Gül would makestrong anti-Armenian statementsif he were to arrive in Yerevan.Another Majlis member, AnarMammadkhanov, wrote on September3 that Turks should nothope that they would be able to usethe visit for public relations purposes,suggesting that “in terms ofpropaganda Armenians are clearlyoutplaying Turks.” A former comedianand also a friend of the Aliyevfamily, he warned in a caustic commentaryfor Day.az that Turkeyis about to hand Azerbaijan’s andTurkey’s only trump card – economicpressure – to the Armeniansat the cost of cooling Turkish-Azerbaijanirelations, “only getting inreturn, I hope, victory by the Turkishfootball team.”Ilgar Mammadov, a commentatorpreviously affiliated with a pro-Turkish nationalist party, offereda positive spin. He suggested thatafter the Russian-Georgian war,Armenia has become even moreisolated and therefore willing tocompromise with Turkey and Azerbaijan.“Gul will try to explain to Armenians that were they to dropterritorial demands against Azerbaijanand Turkey, Armenia wouldgain great advantages from economicand political cooperation.”As in the past, a veteran of theAzerbaijani politics of the 1990s,Zardusht Alizade struck a contrariannote. “I welcome the decisionof the Turkish president,” Mr.Alizade told Day.az. “Through this visit, Turkey will have more opportunitiesto influence the progressive,sober-minded part of theArmenian society which has longsought to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations.... Meantime,Azerbaijan should once and for allabandon illusions that anyone else,in this case Turkey, would be solvingour problems on our behalf.” f—Emil Sanamyan
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