Do You Not Fear? What Vardan Voskanian and Azerbaijanis Discussed in an Elevator of a Tehran Hotel

Iran expert Vardan Voskanian wrote on his Facebook page:

“I’m descending in the elevator of one of the hotels in Tehran, heading for breakfast. It’s just me and five unfamiliar individuals, and we’re silently going down. Suddenly, the man in front of me, wearing a tie, says in Russian, ‘Do you not fear? We are five Azerbaijanis, and you are the only Armenian in this elevator.’ I was surprised how he figured out I was Armenian, but I replied, ‘Why should I fear?’ He smirked and said, ‘I’m from the Azerbaijani embassy, I know you well, and I read what you write.’

With a similarly amused tone, I retorted, ‘Does it show in what I’ve written that I am afraid?’ For a moment, he was taken aback, not knowing what to say.

The elevator reached the ground floor, the doors opened, and I exited. But I felt like something was still left half-finished. I turned back to them and said, ‘Let’s have breakfast, I invite you.’ Confused, several of them immediately responded, ‘No, no.’ Well, now is the time to make a point—‘Are you afraid?’ The classical would say ‘the curtain,’ but at that specific moment, the elevator doors closed.”