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The former Ministers of Culture of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan did not overestimate their abilities while initiating the Armenian-Azerbaijani cultural dialogue in 2007, former Minister of Culture of Russia Mikhail Shvydkoy declared, according to Radio Liberty.

CIS Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Spivakov performed a concert the day before in Yerevan. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbulogly, Director of the CIS Humanitarian Cooperation Council, former Ambassador of Armenia to Russia Armen Smbatyan arrived in Armenia with the orchestra. Before arriving in Yerevan the orchestra had performed a concert in Baku.

“We understood that the Presidents pass political resolutions on Nagorno Karabakh settlement. Meanwhile, they can pass right political resolutions that will not be completely implemented unless they are supported by societies,” Shvydkoy told Radio Liberty. “When Serzh Sargsyan started his tour to Diaspora communities to explain Armenian leadership’s position towards Turkey, we remember how sharply Diaspora and Armenia perceived it. Any political resolution, even the best and rightest one, needs society’s response.”

According to Shvydkoy, naturally, there are people in Armenia and Azerbaijan who think that peaceful settlement has elements of treason, who consider compromise a defeat.

“We believe that compromise is victory, and in this highly explosive situation it becomes a supreme value, compromise means life,” he said.

Mikhail Shvidkoy reported that they are going to involve the Armenian-Azerbaijani component in a series of cultural formats, and it will require Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders’ political will.

“This tour showed that the societies have that good will. For the Presidents, it is very difficult to pass a final political resolution but I think everybody realizes that societies need a dialogue.”