Azerbaijani and Turkish lobby's attempts to prevent Armenian cultural programs abroad have failed.
As Armenia marks the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915, various events timed to that tragedy are held worldwide this year. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Turkey try their best to somehow impede the Armenian cultural programs and events abroad.
"We have already got used to fight. For instance, Turkey and Azerbaijan lease concert halls for the same day and in the same town where Armenia plans to hold a concert. This is an attempt to somehow distract the attention of the world community from the Armenian Genocide centennial," Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan told reporters on May 16.
One of the remarkable events for Armenia this year was the Golden Lion the Armenian Pavilion won at the 56th Biennale di Venezia for forming a pavilion based on a people in Diaspora.
"Meanwhile, those days Venezia was flooded with posters advertising Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani government spent huge funds for that. One thing is for sure: art always wins. Our success at Biennale di Venezia proved that," the minister said. Another measure of pressure on Armenia for Azerbaijan and Turkey is UNESCO. Every time Armenia makes an application to UNESCO, these countries exert genuine efforts to press UNESCO. Last year, Azerbaijan tried its best to introduce the Armenian lavash as traditional Azerbaijani bread. Meanwhile, it was included into the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as Armenian national bread.
This year, Armenia applied for inclusion of the National Dance Kochari into the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a universal value.
Earlier, Turkish lobby tried to prevent the Armenian project "With You, Armenia!" that brought together world musicians to commemorate the Armenian Genocide Centennial. On the eve of the concert in Brussels the administration of the concert hall was press to remove the word Genocide from the posters, booklets and concert programs. Nevertheless, the concert took place on April 26.