Reporter of Azg newspaper Hasmik Harutyunyan said that Armenia’s representatives gave numerous interviews to Iranian media about the incident between the Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists during the 17th exhibition festival of press and information agencies in Iran. “However, I regret to inform that in contrast to Azerbaijanis and Turks, almost not an Armenia media outlet referred to the incident. In addition, I regret to inform that many Armenian information agencies took information about the incident from APA Azerbaijani news agency, while this information was written by the person guilty of the incident,” Harutyunyan, who represented Armenia at the exhibition festival of press and information agencies, told a press conference in Yerevan.

She added that the Armenian delegation was supported by almost all delegations participating in the exhibition, as well as the Armenian community of Iran, but not by Armenian media.

Reporter of PanARMENIAN.Net Yekaterina Poghosyan noted for her part that the reaction of Armenian media was rather delayed. She noted that Armenia is behind Azerbaijan in the information war, as Baku media outlets work jointly in contrast to those of Yerevan. “The matter was not in us, the event coverage was within our country’s interests,” said Poghosyan.

Editor-in-chief of PanARMENIAN.Net agency Marina Ananikyan urged Armenian media to change their approach and work methods, as well as not to refrain from writing about their colleagues in case of similar incidents. “Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani side works jointly, in contrast to us, and we lose in the information war, as everyone thinks of himself, but not of our country’s interests,” she said.

On October 25-November 1, Tehran hosted the 17th exhibition festival of press and information agencies, where Armenia was represented by reporters of PanARMENIAN.Net agency and Azg newspaper.

A photograph of Artsakh’s symbol - We and Our Mountains memorial - which was featured in the Armenian pavilion at the 17th media exhibition in Tehran aroused indignation of the Azerbaijani delegation. While the correspondents from PanARMENIAN.Net and Azg were preparing their pavilion for opening on October 25, the Azerbaijanis were closely following the action. After the map of Armenia and Artsakh Republic was stuck to the stand, they first demanded that the map and the image of the monument should be removed but then, without waiting for any decision by the exhibition management, one of them burst into the pavilion and tore away the map.

In the morning of October 26, the Armenian delegation, which arrived at the area of the media exhibition in Tehran, found out that a photograph of We and Our Mountains memorial has been removed from the stand. After that the exhibition organizers have not taken any actions to return the photograph to the stand.

On October 28, correspondents of PanARMENIAN.Net agency and Azg newspaper decided to boycott the exhibition. “As the Iranian side failed to keep its promise and return the photograph of We and Our Mountains memorial, placing a photo of Yerevan fountains instead, we took the decision to boycott the event. Armenia’s delegation will disseminate a statement among the forum participants,” said Yekaterina Poghosyan.

The statement reads: “Dear colleagues, we, the correspondents of PanARMENIAN.Net news agency and Azg newspaper, representing Armenia at the exhibition festival of press and information agencies, apologize for ceasing our participation over the unsatisfactory organization of the event, during which media freedom is being infringed and limitations are imposed on materials providing information about our country. We express our indignation at the fact that the exhibition organizers disallow placement of We and Our Mountains monument image on our stand, thus yielding to provocative acts of the Azerbaijani delegation, which used the event to push on anti-Armenian propaganda and claims to the historical Armenian land, Artsakh. With the exhibition organizers failing to keep their promise and return the photograph of the monument to the Armenian pavilion as well as to ensure security of the Armenian delegation, we consider our further participation in the event to be impossible.”

The organizers of the 17th international exhibition festival of press and information agencies asked the Armenian journalists to continue participation in the event but were rejected due to the failure to return the photograph of the Armenian monument to the Armenian pavilion. Therefore, the event organizers said they will not pay for accommodation of the Armenian delegation any more. Thanks to the efforts of Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Grigor Arakelyan, the Armenian journalists came back to Yerevan on the night of October 30, several days prior to the scheduled date of return.