Open letter by Teimour Radjabov

Русская версия

Open letter by Teimour Radjabov

Dear Sir,

I would like to appeal to all reporters writing about chess, the editors-in-chief of chess magazines and web sites, to all reporters and chess fans.

As a sportsman playing on the international level and giving plenty of interviews, I, unfortunately, cannot follow all statements ascribed, sometimes in a hypertrophic form, to me by reporters.

All the more, reporters do not submit to me the text of my interview before it is published, which is what happened in the latest case. Therefore, please, treat this issue with due understanding.

True, we do not have simple relations with Armenia, we are virtually in a state of war, and 20% of our lands are under occupation. Naturally, all this leaves its effect when contests are held between our countries, and the stir created by media and fans from both sides are understandable.

However, I would like to state that the Azerbaijani people, including me as its representative, are tolerant and will never stoop to pathological nationalism. We all sincerely believe that common sense will prevail at the end and the conflict between our countries will be resolved peacefully and within international law.

Yours truly
GM Teimour Radjabov


Original interview in APA (Russian)
English translation