Recently, the RA High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan visited France to have meetings with the Armenian community of France, but the meetings did not go smoothly. According to the information, Zareh Sinanyan violated the previously reached agreements of the inviting party with the Armenian company of France, as a result of which the Chief Commissioner of the Diaspora registered a poor agenda in France. Zareh Sinanyan’s visit was exclusively rejected by all the traditional, serious organizations of the Armenian community in France.
Pastinfo spoke with Murad Papazyan, Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Armenian Society of France (CCAF), member of the ARF Bureau. – Mr. Papazyan, how did the traditional dinner organized by the Armenian community of France go recently? What were the main problems solved by this year’s event? – We have been organizing that dinner since 2014, every year the first person of the country, the president, participates in it. This time, for well-known reasons, Macron was not present, because he is busy with the issue of Ukraine. These days, as the President of Europe, he participates in the negotiations in Moscow, Ki, and Berlin. Despite his absence for good reasons, he had authorized the Prime Minister to attend the dinner, which we highly appreciate. This year, as in previous years, many deputies, ministers, artists, lawyers, journalists participated, with a total of about 450 participants. I must say that this year the dinner was also productive.
You know, it is a political work for us, during which we raise various issues concerning Armenia and Artsakh, naturally defending the interests of Armenia, the Armenian Cause, and Artsakh. In any case, here in France, our enemies, Turkey and Azerbaijan, during these years have not been able to increase their role enough to counterbalance our community. As for this year’s problems, due to the situation in Armenia over the past two years, we considered it necessary to focus on the country’s security issues, border issues, post-war issues, the issue of the danger of the corridor, which, in fact, threatens Armenia’s statehood. It also endangers the Armenian-Iranian border, which is of great importance for Armenia.
This time we also highlighted the importance of France’s role in the Minsk Group in the issue of recognizing Artsakh’s independence. Of course, the pro-Armenian position of the French Republic must be very important here, which we are sure will be continuous. In other words, despite all these problems, Armenia should not be left alone in international relations. – Speaking of “Hay Dat”, I can not but refer to Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic statements on this topic during the last press conference, according to which, I quote, the Republic of Armenia has never pursued a policy of “Hay Dat”. Never. ” I would like to know how you would comment on this wording, Mr. Papazyan. – I think this is a very dangerous, anti-Armenian statement. How to comment on this? Pashinyan is probably not aware of Armenian history, he does not know what “Hay Dat” and the Genocide are.
What does it mean that the Republic of Armenia has never pursued the policy of “Hay Dat”? What is it? One of the issues, moreover, at the state level, together with the ambassadors accredited, the ARF Bureau, was the international recognition of the “Hay Dat”։ Genocide. It was during those years that dozens of countries internationally recognized, condemned, and condemned the crime committed by Turkey in 1915. I repeat this was the foreign policy adopted at the state level by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in those years. Now how does Nikol Pashinyan state that “Hay Dat” or the Genocide was not part of the policy pursued by the Republic of Armenia? Is that person aware of the Armenian reality, the Armenian history, does he have an idea of the problems of the Genocide or the demands, I do not know … In any case, he will not succeed. Let him know this. – We talked about the split, Mr. Papazyan, the other day the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan was in France, whose visit to that country, as we understood, did not go so smoothly. What was the reason? – Mr. Sinanyan simply ugly violated the initial agreement we had, which we had reached in October last year. The impression is that he intends to create problems within the French-Armenian community. We asked him to come back
He owes his tour to attend the annual CCAF dinner in February, which I told you about above. In addition, we agreed that his visit to France will be organized by the CCAF. At the same time, we made it a condition that he did not have working relations with our rival organization here, and did not participate in public meetings with them. We are talking about two newly established organizations that are trying to compete with the CCAF, to weaken our position here. In fact, these two organizations are weak, but they try to hinder in every way the activities of Armenian organizations, which already have a traditional and great reputation in the French-Armenian community. Why were they created when the CCAF had achieved great success for years in favor of Armenia, Artsakh, and Hay Dat? It turns out that these organizations receive credit from Mr.
Sinanyan, which speaks of nothing but the fact that Sinanyan was sent here on a business trip to divide the French-Armenian community. When we learned in January that Zareh Sinanyan had not respected our initial agreement to participate in the meetings announced by those organizations, we contacted him and demanded that they be canceled, which was rejected. We informed that if he does not cancel those meetings, we will renounce our agreements. In response, we were told what to do. We also withdrew the invitation sent to him by the CCAF for dinner. He was deprived of the opportunity to attend the CCAF dinner, where 450 influential people were present: ministers, deputies, presidential candidates, mayors, etc.
I will say only one thing here, in any case, Mr. Sinanyan should know that he will not be able to drive a wedge between the role and value of the role of traditional Armenian organizations, which this person is obviously striving for. He will simply fail in his shameful mission. – Mr. Papazyan, recently here in Armenia, the issue of amending the Mother Law, the Constitution, has been actively circulated, according to which, according to disturbing news, the current authorities are going to abandon the issue of the Armenian Genocide և Claim in favor of Turkey. We also know that the united Armenian Diaspora, in particular the pro-Armenian organizations of France, the United States and their pro-Armenian policy pursued for decades, is a great obstacle for Turkey to get rid of that shameful historical burden. Doesn’t Sinanyan’s behavior during his visit to France suggest this? “Of course you are right.” Of course, we know such aspirations of Turkey.
We also know that the united Armenian Diaspora, yes, is a big obstacle for Turkey to cancel the issue related to the Genocide. If the humiliating, very dangerous preconditions dictated by Turkey to open the borders with Armenia are acceptable for the Armenian authorities, then the Diaspora will certainly not give its consent to it. The issues of the “Hay Dat” genocide are not only issues on the Armenian agenda, but also pan-Armenian issues. It is here that Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic “anti-Armenian rhetoric by nature” on “Hay Dat”‘s “Genocide issues, as well as their efforts to drive a wedge to weaken the role of the Diaspora” becomes clear. What Turkey failed to do a hundred years ago, it is trying to do now with its dictated agendas, which is nothing but the final failure and weakening of Armenia. This is the dream of the Azerbaijani side to put its paw on Syunik in the south of Armenia. I have to repeat again, they will not succeed in this. – Mr. Papazyan, what is the primary problem of the French-Armenian community at the moment? – Our priority has always been to identify pro-Armenian global issues and to provide pro-Armenian solutions within the framework of our opportunities. Our problems are not for the discussion of narrow and small issues, what did Sinanyan say, what do the new and weak organizations created in our community want from us, we do not even pay much attention to why they try to compete in every way և weaken the role of already established և reputable organizations. Our problems have been: the issues that are of great importance for our homeland – “Hay Dat”, border security, international recognition of the Genocide issue and fair reparation, we will not give up our adopted policy.
Source: Pastinfo