"Against encyclopedic fraud"
British «Kingfisher publications» (Macmillan Children's Books) published in 2003 and republished in Russian a encyclopedia «Махаон» « Большая иллюстрированная энциклопедия географии » ( illustrated encyclopedia of geography), where Armenia is described as:
· Main languages: Armenian and Azerbaijani,
· Main religions, orthodoxy (Armenian Apostolic Church) and Islam.
· It is mentioned that, allegedly in 1988-89 between Armenia and Azerbaijan was a armed dispute over the status of Karabakh , Artsakh is presented as a historical area of Azerbaijan, and is mostly Armenian-populated. "
This is how Armenia is described to the world in this Russian and the British well-known publishing houses.
· Main languages: Armenian and Azerbaijani,
· Main religions, orthodoxy (Armenian Apostolic Church) and Islam.
· It is mentioned that, allegedly in 1988-89 between Armenia and Azerbaijan was a armed dispute over the status of Karabakh , Artsakh is presented as a historical area of Azerbaijan, and is mostly Armenian-populated. "
This is how Armenia is described to the world in this Russian and the British well-known publishing houses.
Armenian and Azerbaijani Main Languages in Armenia?
Bookstores in Armenia affectionately present to the attention of the buyers a geographical encyclopedia published in Russia with a page devoted to Armenia that will horrify and infuriate any Armenian.
The thing is that Armenia is presented in the encyclopedia with facts beyond all limits of logic: first that the main language in Armenia along with Armenian is Azerbaijani, that the main religions in Armenia are orthodoxy and Islam, in particular – Shia, as well as false information about the Artsakh issue.
In particular it is mentioned that in 1988-1989 there was a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan because of the Artsakh status where Artsakh is presented as follows: “Historical territory of Azerbaijan populated mainly by Armenians.”
The encyclopedia worth about ten thousand drams and titled «Большая иллюстрированная энциклопедия географии» has been published in 2009 by the Russian publishing house «Махаон» in cooperation with British «The Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia» Company.
Ridiculous and infuriating is also the picture presenting Armenia: two elderly villagers, a woman and a man, collecting potatoes in the field; their image can be associated more with Azeries than Armenians.
In short, a foreigner wishing to get information about Armenia and Armenians after watching this encyclopedia can only decide that Armenia is a backward Muslim country with a backward population engaged mainly in agriculture.
“Couldn’t they find a more appropriate picture to present Armenia – Garni, Etchmiadzin or one of thousands of historical cultural monuments?” after seeing the encyclopedia says a surprised young man. “We are a civilized nation and live not only by growing potatoes… to say nothing of religion and language. I think this is specially developed policy to discredit Armenia.”
We learned about non-trustworthy information about Armenia in the encyclopedia from a citizen’s call to the “Kentron” TV channel’s “Good morning, Armenians” program.
The woman was indignantly telling how she bought the encyclopedia and opening the article on Armenia found false and non-trustworthy information.
She also asked the anchormen to raise the question with “top leadership”. The anchormen promised to deal with the issue saying that first they would inform reporters and asking the woman to leave her phone number.
We were interested with the issue and decided to follow the case and make a story. We called “Kentron” TV company to take the woman’s phone number (since the title of the encyclopedia, its publishing data etc. were not quite clear from her call).
The coordinator of the program told us that the woman’s phone number wasn’t registered for some unconvincing reasons.
So we were obliged to visit all the bookstores of Yerevan, burrow in all Russian language geographical encyclopedias to find the one.
Fortunately our efforts were not in vain. At one of the well-known bookstores on Mashtots Avenue we found the encyclopedia. Employees of the bookstore told us they had been selling it for several months but could not tell how many copies were already sold. They also said they received no negative response about the encyclopedia.
“Ankakh” will pursue raising this issue at state and public level. If necessary it will sue the Russian and British publishing houses that published the encyclopedia.
IF WE HADN’T BROUGHT ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR SALE, HOW WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?
The encyclopedia «Большая иллюстрированная энциклопедия географии» in russian, sold in Yerevan bookshops, in which Armenia is represented with unfaithful unfavourable facts (in particular in Armenia besides Armenian is also Azerbaijani, and the basic religions are orthodoxy and islam, in aprticular, Shiite direction, and Arcakh is reprezented as “the historical region of Azerbaijan, inhabited mainly by Armenians”) has been in the centre of attention of “Ankakh” magazine for several days.
The bookshop “The world of books” where we have found the encyclopedia, began to sell it several months ago. Before a clamour raised around the encyclopedia only two instances had been sold within these months, and afterwards two more instances have been sold within several days. Khachik Vardanyan, the director of the bookshop, who studied the encyclopedia only after our first publication, thinks that the reality is exaggerated.
“The disinformation, to say the least of it, is the result of misunderstanding or is made preceeding from some considerations. In any case it shouldn’t be considered as antiarmenian agitation.”
When the director was asked if the shop puts limit on sale of books or he sells them in succession, he answered:
“We don’t accept yellow press and antistate agitetion, we sell everything else. On the whole, we don’t have the right to deside for the customer, what he needs and what he doesn’t. We offer him everything and he chooses whatever he needs.”
Vardanyan doesn’t admit that the bookshop must lodge a complaint concerning this encyclopedia and boycott the sale, mentioning, that this problem must be solved by appropriate state organs. On the contrary he thinks that such books should be sold so as people read them and struggled against them.
“For instance, if we hadn’t put this encyclopedia for sale how would you know about it?,- He says,-one shouldn’t look for a pear under an apple tree. This is a bookshop, we only have some examplars of this book two of which you -journalists – have already bought. The rest will also be sold soon.”
He doesn’t mind the wave of public protest at all.
“If this is a tendency, the machine of Azebaijanian agitation has gained a victory over us,- He says,- and we must blame only us of it. We don’t do anything and instead we sit and wait till we are blown on the head.
We mention that “Ankakh” is going to write an open letter to the british and russian publishers with the demand to withdraw all the books, to reprove desinformation and present Armenia in real facts in a proper way in the encyclopedia. Otherwise the problem will be solved by the court.
“Ankakh” Has Started a Judicial Process against Russian and British Publishing Houses
“Ankakh” weekly, and the same website, which was the first to identify and cover about Armenia, disinformation placed in the Geographical Encyclopedia published by a Russian publishing house, the judicial process is going to start against the Russian «Махаон» and British «The kingfisher geography encyclopedia» publishers.
The geographical encyclopedia published by the «Большая иллюстрированная энциклопедия географии» Russian publishing house, where Armenia is represented, to put it mildly, in false information (besides Armenian the main language in Armenia is also Azerbaijanian, the basic religions in Armenia are Orthodoxy and Islam – Shia – in particular direction, Artsakh is the historical territory of Azerbaijan , mostly populated by Armenians, and а photo, which doesn’t have any connection with Armenians at all) already ten days has drawn the public’s attention.
The corresponding state offices are aware of it, but they haven’t responded specifically to it. They mention that it isn’t included in their functions to control and punish such publications.
According to the director of the Staff of the President Public Relations and Information Center SNCO Ara Saghatelyan’s words, they can’t do anything, but recommend to present the issue to the public and bring to court the publishers that have published and spread the encyclopedia.
“This issue should not be engaged in the state,” he says, in all democratic countries such problems are solved by social structures.
Saghatelyan believes that bringing to court these publishing houses are just minutes’ affair: They must achieve the denial and prohibition claim of the sale of the book.
He also said that the Ministry of Education is also aware of it, and the issue has been discussed with them.
Ministry of Education and Public Relations Department chief Artur Baghdasaryan said that they are aware, however, he believes that it is the National Security Service that must deal with the problem.
“Like every citizen, every Armenian, we are also outraged by the ignorant, wrong and false publication, but do not have the jurisdiction to deal with the issue,” he said.
NSS Media and Public Relations Department Artsvi Bagramian in turn said that they were aware of the issue, but are not competent to deal with it.
It should be noted that a few days after the publication a young man came to “Ankakh” editorial office, visited a young and showed the Cambridge-Prague’s Dictionary bought many years ago, where in front of Armenia there was written: language – Azerbaijani, currency – Manat.
After all this, we must only hope that society, at least, will not be indifferent to such false and anti-Armenian and in case of meeting they will surely struggle.
“Armenia is a democratic country, we have no censorship.” This is certainly a positive fact, but not a serious excuse for not struggling against the campaign of authorities that defames the nation and statehood.
“Ankakh” Has Started a Judicial Process against Russian and British Publishing Houses
Entry into the Judicial Process May not Give the Desired Results
Armen Aivazian: “To Call to Account the British and Russian Publishing House is the Duty of the State”
Open Letter with the Request of Denial
Kingfisher Macmillan Children’s Books replies to Ankakh weekly’s enquiry.
The Response of ‘’Illustrated Geographical Encyclopedia’’(in Russian) to the Editorial Staff of ‘’Ankakh’’
