Azerbaijani Ambassador Apologizes: 'Artsakh' Composition is Armenian, Ara Gevorgyan Wins Case

Finally, the fabricated dispute regarding the authorship of the "Artsakh" composition by Armenian composer Ara Gevorgyan, instigated by Azerbaijanis, has come to an end. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture has officially stated that Fikrat Amirov, who claimed authorship of the piece, has no connection to Armenian music.

In an interview with Armlur.am, the composer recounted that the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Moscow, Bulbuloglu, had apologized to him back in 2007 through the then-Minister of Culture. "To be honest, all of this started back in 2007. Azerbaijan did not take into account that my music had already been played at two Olympic Games, and my name was declared as the author. They took the piece, considered it theirs, and consequently fell into a misunderstanding. I started fighting back, and even recently presented a film in which I prove that I wrote that music. I even had it translated into Azerbaijani so that they could understand it as well, and fortunately, it reached the right audience. I even found an article from Azerbaijani media where a journalist asks Fikrat Amirov's son, to which he responds that his father did not write that composition. Perhaps the film had its impact, although we had started legal proceedings against Azerbaijan," said Ara Gevorgyan.

The composer also mentioned that his Ministry of Culture did not provide any support and did not get involved. "I can only say that at one point, Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan conveyed to me that the Azerbaijani ambassador apologized for the misunderstanding that had occurred," Gevorgyan added.