Apology to the Ambassador of Armenia

Diplomat unreservedly apologises to the Ambassador of Armenia, His Excellency Dr Vahe Gabrielyan, for misrepresenting, through its own editorial mistakes and inaccuracies, his views in an article, entitled ‘Armenia: Beset by Conflict, Blessed with Opportunity’, written by the Ambassador and published in the September issue of Diplomat.

The magazine, in attempting to fit Dr Gabrielyan’s words to its house style, unintentionally and erroneously changed the overall message and, among others, a key fact in his article; the result being that Diplomat implied that Armenia lost a ‘valuable stretch of the Black Sea shore’ in 1921. What the Ambassador actually stated was that in 1921 ‘the Soviet leadership traded [Armenian] lands with Turkey, gaining a valuable stretch of [Turkey’s] Black Sea shore.’
Diplomat recognises that Dr Gabrielyan, in his role as a diplomat and senior statesman, takes extra care to choose his wording in written articles so as to avoid any misunderstanding, misperception or misinterpretation. Diplomat is extremely sorry for any embarrassment or awkwardness that it’s editing and additions  has caused him by unintentionally changing the accent and meaning of his article.

The magazine encourages diplomats and heads of mission in London to portray their views by writing articles for its pages. It is never the intention of the publication to change the meaning or to take a view on the content of a diplomat’s article. Diplomat is a medium for the diplomatic community in London and the EU – a forum for diplomats to write articles as well as read articles written by their peers – and prides itself on having enjoyed 62 years of good relations with the embassies and high commissions in London.