University of Birmingham hotspot of Karabakh discussionsThe University of Birmingham is an open platform for expression. The University of Birmingham hosted a round-table discussion on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Nov 26, followed by a seminar The Challenges and Choices of the South Caucasus: Between Political, Cultural and Economic Priorities hosted by a Russian expert Denis Dvornikov. Later, several Armenian media outlets hurried to slam the event, accusing the organizers of bias. The expert commented on the situation amid the media scandal. December 2, 2014 PanARMENIAN.Net - The stir raised by Armenian media surprised and upset me. The very next day I spoke to the participants of the event which was planned as an ordinary academic session, with no major media coverage, political conclusions or statements envisaged. True, an Azeri guest spoke at the event. Everyone I talked to characterized her speech as overly politicized, and I'm not surprised. The University of Birmingham is an open platform for expression. I was given a chance to present my analysis of the situation in the South Caucasus, the issues ranging from the Eurasian Economic Union to the problem of unrecognized states. The entry, as well as the discussion were free, similar to the Karabakh round-table. At the University of Birmingham I met a very qualified expert, Kevork Oskanian, so suggestions that the entry for Armenian representatives was restricted were exaggerated. I shared my impressions from a visit to Artsakh, and the photos I made with the event attendees. Overall, the message of all the statements and remarks was clear enough – the regions needs peace, and escalation of conflict is in no one’s interests. It would be naïve to assume that the science is immune to financial incentives, at times ill-meant ones. Still, the important thing is that at a well-respected institution like the University of Birmingham any attempt at propaganda looks shameful. So the attempts to buy their way into a science of such scale would be made to the initiator’s detriment, which makes the stir around the issue unreasonable. And anybody displeased with the participants of the round-table discussion, should have been more active in counterbalancing their remarks. Denis Dvornikov, expert at Russian-Armenian Commonwealth Most popular in the section A non-exhaustive summary of war crimes Months-long project in Italy highlights culture and nation From an American Colonel's report A timeline of how the war machine was set in motion More articles in this section The situation is scarier than one can imagine Family in Beirut hoping to move to Armenia And the Pulitzer Prize went to… a lot of Armenians Honored as the best in literature, journalism Azerbaijan’s violence in April War Child killed, soldiers beheaded, bodies tortured | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia clarifying reports on Baku’s alleged arms supply to Ukraine Russia says is carefully working to verify reports about alleged arms supplies from Azerbaijan to Ukraine Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |