LEVON
ARONIAN’S STATEMANT
February
2, 2012
To:
FIDE PRESIDENT KIRSAN ILYUMZHINOV
FIDE
PRESIDENTIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Dear Mr. President
Dear Presidential Board Members
I
learnt from the media, that the Chess Federations of Azerbaijan and Bulgaria had
submitted an application on holding the Candidates Tournament of World
Championship.
I’d
like to inform you that general atmosphere in Azerbaijan and continuous tensions
between our countries make my participation in such high ranked tournament in
Azerbaijan impossible. A responsible and important event, such as the
Candidates Tournament, requires peace of mind and special concentration.
No circumstances, if they are not chess-related, should prevent the
grandmaster from demonstrating all of his skills. Unfortunately, at this
moment no Armenian can find favorable or adequate psychological
atmosphere in Azerbaijan, whereas that is something absolutely necessary. In my
opinion, all the participants should be in equal conditions, which is impossible
in case of holding the tournament in Azerbaijan. Security guaranties and any
kind of additional support cannot be a remedy.
Taking into account the above-mentioned considerations, I inform you that
I would be delighted to take part in Candidates Tournament any other country,
but my participation in the candidates tournament in Azerbaijan has to
be excluded.
I
hope you will take into account these considerations while discussing
the issue of the tournament venue at the Presidential Board Meeting.
Thank you in advance and best regards,
GM Levon Aronian
