"No one in Armenia had guaranteed my safety. I took a risk by traveling to Yerevan," Azerbaijani blogger Turab Zeynalov, who lives in Russia and recently visited Armenia, said in an interview with APA's Moscow correspondent.
The Azerbaijani blogger, who lives in Moscow, visited Armenia in September this year. Zeynalov, who flew from Moscow to Yerevan with his Armenian friends, was questioned for three hours at Zvartnots Airport. He said he had traveled to Yerevan to attend the wedding of a close female friend and stayed in Armenia for 10 days.
"I have a close female friend. She is Armenian. She invited me to her wedding. I didn't know whether to go or not because there was a possibility that I would not be allowed to cross the border. However, in the end, we decided that I should go. We flew from Moscow to Yerevan with my friends and approached passport control at the airport. The border guard looked at me and then checked my first and last name in my passport. My surname does not end in 'oglu' but in 'vich.' He asked me about my nationality. I said I was Azerbaijani. Fear appeared in his eyes. He returned my passport and told me that I would have to wait a little. I was taken to another room. There were questions about when I had last visited Azerbaijan and the purpose of my visit to Armenia. I filled out the questionnaire. They did not treat me badly. Eventually, I was allowed to cross the border. I thought that if they let me in, I would be the first, and if they did not, others would understand that it was not worth traveling to Armenia," Zeynalov said.
Turab Zeynalov noted that police escorted him until he left the airport.
"When we were leaving the airport, my friend's uncle met us. At that moment, I spoke a little Armenian with my friend's uncle. I know a little Armenian. The Armenian police officer was surprised that I could speak Armenian."
The Azerbaijani blogger, who is a Russian citizen, said he was treated well in Yerevan.
"When people learned that I was Azerbaijani, they treated me very well. Wherever we went with my friends, they told people there that I was Azerbaijani. Of course, there are also people who do not like us. This can also be seen in the comments on the video I posted on YouTube."
Zeynalov also said that his parents had been against his trip to Armenia.
"My relatives did not want me to go to Armenia. They were afraid. My parents were also afraid. However, they supported me. My Armenian friends also want to visit Baku. We are discussing this. However, they are just as hesitant as I was. Just as I thought long and hard about whether to go to Yerevan. I would like to take them to Baku, but I cannot guarantee their safety, just as they had not guaranteed my safety in Yerevan. I took a risk and went to Yerevan," the blogger added.
The Azerbaijani blogger also shared his impressions of Yerevan.
"The streets of Yerevan were very similar to those of Baku. For example, when you looked at Pushkin Street in Yerevan, it felt as if you were near the 28 May area in Baku. Some neighborhoods reminded me of Baku's Ahmadli settlement. Yerevan is very similar to Baku. Only those who have visited both cities can understand this. It is a beautiful city. I liked it very much. You can walk everywhere in Yerevan, which is very good. I stayed in Yerevan for about 10 days. Actually, I also wanted to visit other regions of Armenia, including Dilijan and Ijevan. However, my friends fell ill, so that did not happen. I became emotional when leaving Yerevan. I would like to go there again."
It should be noted that Turab Zeynalov, originally from Kangarli village in Azerbaijan's Aghdam district, says he was born and raised in Moscow. He says that there is international friendship there and that nationality takes a back seat. He hopes that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia will have a more positive impact on relations between ordinary people.
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