American Memco Inc. Company opens Armenian Genocide online museum Archives

By: Hambersom Aghbashian

Maya Arakon (born 1972 in Istanbul) is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Süleyman Şah University (Istanbul).
After graduating from Notre Dame De Sion French High School in 1991, she continued her higher education at Marmara University- Department of Political Science and Public Administration (licensed 1995). She completed her first M.Sc degree (European Union) in 1997, at Marmara University-European Community Institute . Her second M.Sc degree (European Union and Defense Sciences-1999), and PhD degree (Terrorism, Security and Defense Sciences- 2007), were both completed at Robert Schuman University (Strasbourg, France), and her Post Doctorate in 2009, at Paris University-Political Science Institute- International Research and Science Center (Paris-France).(1)
Maya Arakon was one of the Turkish intellectuals who signed a petition against Denialist Exhibit in Denmark, an exhibition which was planned by the Turkish embassy to support their point of view concerning the Armenian Genocide . ” Don’t Stand Against Turkey’s Democratization and Confrontation with its History! ” was the message to the Royal Library of Denmark who has given the Turkish government the opportunity to present an “alternative exhibit” in response to the Armenian Genocide exhibition.(2)
In his article “White Turks, Black Turks and grey debate”, (Hürriyet Daily News – Nov.22.2010), Özgur Ögret asked Maya Arakon to define “White Turks” . She described them as “sympathizers of the Kemalist ideology who perceive themselves as the founders of the Republi ; therefore, a group uneasy with Kurds and religious people, who they believe should be “educated and modernized.” Ögret commented in his article that “According to Arakon, White Turks lack a democratic perspective on human rights and thus cannot truly be Westernized.” Unfortunately, this is the ideology of the most members of the current Turkish government. (3)
According to PanARMENIAN.Net (April 1, 2010), “Some representatives of Turkish intelligentsia urge Turkey, which seeks EU membership, follow Serbian parliament’s example, which recently condemned the 1995 killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and apologize to Armenians for 1915 Genocide. The offer was advanced by Maya Arakon, assistant professor of International Relations from Yeditepe University and Soli Özel, professor of International Relations and Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. According to Maya Arakon, Serbia which seeks EU membership, tries to whitewash its past; Turkey can initiate similar steps regarding Genocide issue”. (4)
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1- http://www.ssu.edu.tr/dokumanlar/cv/mayaarakon.pdf
2-http://www.aga-online.org/signature/detail.php?locale=am&alertId=6
3- http://archive.today/9wPza#selection-1193.0-1193.415
4- http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world/news/46423/

also published on

Nor Or, July 31, 2014

16:51, 22 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. On the eve of the Armenian Genocide’s 98th commemoration, Memco Inc. has updated and released the Armenian Genocide Virtual Museum tour at http://www.genocide-museum.am. The Public Relations Service of Memco Inc. Company informed “Armenpress” that the virtual visit facilitates the visitors to visit the Armenian Genocide Museum—Institute from across the globe, to take a tour of the monument as well as the museum itself where documents and images of the perpetrations is displayed. Additionally, in remembrance of the victims of the genocide the visitors can place flowers by the eternal flame.

To view the aforementioned content the visitor is required to download and install a viewer (MiaPlayer) for a high-quality interactive experience. Once installed, the visitor may follow the easy instructions and navigate the entire scene. The visitor is presented with the choice of visiting the Genocide Museum during the day or the evening hours accompanied with the lasting music of Komitas as performed by the renowned Komitas Quartet.

Per Mr. Garen Melikian’s words, the President and CEO of Memco Inc., “… as someone who lives in the United States and could not attend the ceremony every year, I wanted to participate and make my presence permanent”. He goes on to say, that “by creating a virtual environment of the monument and the museum we wanted to offer the diaspora Armenians, as well as concerned non-Armenians, the opportunity that is readily available to our compatriots in Armenia. For them to visit Tsitsernakabert and pay their respect to victims of the genocide”, added Melikian.

It must be noted that the creation and maintenance of the Armenian Genocide Virtual Museum is a charitable contribution made by Memco Inc. in honor of the resilience and everlasting endurance of the Armenian people for the recognition of their pain and celebration of their life.