Diaspora Archives

Sargsyan: Restitution of Armenian statehood has been key objective that bridges Armenians

September 21, 2016 By administrator

armenia-as-bridge YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Wednesday received the heads and representatives of Diaspora Armenian organizations, who have arrived in Armenia on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the independence of the country.

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Great House of Cilicia Catholicos Aram I, National Assembly President Galust Sahakyan, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, and several other officials also attended the talk.

The President delivered welcoming remarks to those in attendance.

“Restitution of Armenian statehood has been the key objective that bridges the Armenia-Artsakh [(Nagorno)]-[Armenian] Diaspora trinity,” Sargsyan noted, in particular.

The official redeeming of the “25th Anniversary” and “Independence” postage stamps, which are issued on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, also was held within the framework of this meeting.

We should consider creating a pan-Armenian platform, Minister of Diaspora says

August 25, 2016 By administrator

Armenia and the Diaspora, RA Minister of Diaspora, Hranush Hakobyan said in her opening speech during the “Armenian World on Internet” conference today, August 25.

“Organizing such a conference, our main request to the specialists is the creation of a pan-Armenian platform, just like the CNN and Google. Our specialists should extend and intensify the educational sites dedicated to the Armenian language and history studies,” the Minister noted.

She also highlighted the importance of fighting against the misinformation and the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem, in order to prevent any falsification of the history.

During a briefing, YSU rector, Aram Sirmoyan said that huge work has been done by both, the YSU Institute for Armenian Studies and the Ministry of Diaspora. He added that at this point various materials have been digitalized and that the process is still ongoing. Sirmoyan mentioned the contribution of the Armenian communities of Sochi, Rostov-on-Don and Lebanon.

“Armenian World on Internet” conference is held on August 25-26, 2016.

Account number opened for European Armenians to support Sasna Tsrer group

August 3, 2016 By administrator

account for YEREVAN. – Branches of Armenian Renaissance Diaspora organization have appealed to Armenia’s Funding Parliament radical opposition group, proposing to open accounts in every state for conducting fundraising in order to cover the Sasna Tsrer group attorney’s fees and their family needs. The funds raised will be sent to Armenia and will also be used for special purposes, reads the statement issued by Founding Parliament.

“The Founding Parliament will present you the account numbers, which are authorized to gather the fundraising. Today we have received the account number for the European Armenians. In the future, we will also present those for America, Canada and Lebanon,” the statement reads.

Below is the account number for the European Armenians:

BANK NAME :CREDIT MUTUEL BANK

ADDRESS : 198 Avenue de Paris 92320 Chatillon, FRANCE

IBAN: FR76 1027 8060 3400 0205 0904 133

BIC: CMCIFR2A BENEFICIARY

ACCOUNT NUMBER : 10278 06034 00020509041

BENEFICIARY NAME: Renaissance Arménienne Paris

3rd phase of “Come Home” program for Diaspora Armenian youth kicks off

July 4, 2016 By administrator

come home default YEREVAN. – Third phase of the “Come Home 2016” motherland visiting program for the Diaspora Armenian youth, and by the Ministry of the Diaspora of Armenia, was officially opened on Monday.

The ministry informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that Minister Hranush Hakobyan delivered welcoming remarks to the participants.

Vartan Gharpetian, Councilmember of the City of Glendale, California, USA, also welcomed these “Come Home” participants.

A total of 130 young Armenians from ten countries have arrived in Armenia to take part in the third phase of the “Come Home 2016” program.

Armenian communities stage powerful rallies worldwide Against Azerbaijan aggression

April 6, 2016 By administrator

67078_b The Armenian community of Argentina held a massive demonstration outside the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the country to denounce the Azeri aggression against Nagorno Karabakh on the night of Tuesday, April 5, Prensa Armenia reports.

After an intense awareness campaign among the society, all institutions of the community called for peace and recognition of self-determination of the people of Artsakh. The rally was attended by several community representatives and Archbishop Kissag Mouradian, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church for Argentina and Chile.

“Azerbaijan has embarked in recent years on the process of expanding its military arsenal and the externalization of their convictions to achieve their goals through weapons. The continued aggressive attitude of Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Nagorno Karabakh confirms that a peaceful resolution of the conflict will only be possible by respecting the right of self-determination of its people,” reads the statement signed by all community organizations.

“Given the serious situation in question, we ask the authorities of Argentina to urge the parties to circumscribe the conflict settlement in the framework of the negotiations held in the Minsk Group, and thus avoiding a regional explosion with unpredictable consequences.”

Also Tuesday, the Armenian organization Nor Serund staged a massive rally in front of Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Paris.

The participants carried posters with the slogans “Karabakh is ours” and “Aliyev is the enemy of peace.”

The demonstrators tried to draw closer to the Embassy but the police formed a human wall and used tear gas to hinder the youth’s advance.

In addition, the Armenian activists ofAustria held a protest action in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, where the OSCE Minsk Group had held a special meeting earlier that day. The protesters demanded that Azerbaijan cease violence in Nagorno Karabakh, RIA says.

The parties to the Karabakh conflict agreed on a bilateral ceasefire along the contact line which came into force at midday, April 5.

Prior to that, on the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

As many as 29 Karabakh servicemen were killed and 101 were wounded in the course of military operations. 28 Karabakh soldiers have gone missing so far.

As of April 5, the Azerbaijani side has lost 26 tanks and 4 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as 1 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, 2 military helicopters and 11 unmanned aerial vehicles.

14 Karabakh tanks have been neutralized since April 2.

РИА Новости: Армянские активисты в Австрии проводят в Вене митинг.

Minister: Azerbaijan’s actions on border cause problems for both Armenia and Diaspora

September 25, 2015 By administrator

Azerbaijan escalates the situation on the border so as to damage various sectors of the Armenian economy, including tourism, and also to instill fear in residents of border areas, especially during a harvest season, Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan told reporters today.

“We should use our entire potential, capacities of Armenian organizations created by the Diaspora, activists from various countries to influence the authorities of their countries,” H. Hakobyan said stressing the need to exert influence on Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev from outside.

The minister recalled that in September 2014 representatives of Armenian organizations from various countries discussed priority tasks, including the settlement of the Karabakh problem.

“It is the problem of not only Armenia, but also the whole Armenian people. In case of growing border tensions, we appeal to our Diaspora Armenian organizations. They try to attract the attention of authorities of other countries to the problem by staging protests or by other means,” she said.

“Aliyev constantly seeks an opportunity to cause harm to Armenia, but we give a fitting rebuff, and our army’s morale is so high that we should not doubt its ability to deliver a counter-blow,” Hranush Hakobyan stressed.

She said that Armenia, unlike Azerbaijan, honors its obligations. “Our republic wants to find a solution to the problem in the framework of the OSCE Group, and not by means chosen by Aliyev,” she added.

As was reported, two female residents of Berdavan village in Tavush province of Armenia were killed as a result of Azerbaijani shooting on September 24. A spokesman for the Armenian police, Ashot Aharonyan, confirmed this information when contacted by the correspondent of Panorama.am. Prior to that, information was received that an elderly woman who was a resident of Paravakar village in Armenia’s Tavush province, was also killed by Azerbaijani gunfire. Aharonyan specified that the woman killed by gunfire was Paytsar Aghajanyan, 83. “To stabilize the situation in the border zone and deter the enemy, the Armenian armed forces will take proportionate actions, the full responsibility for which will be borne by Azerbaijan’s military and political leadership,” the press service of Armenian Defense Ministry said yesterday.

Source: Panorama.am

Review Film: ‘The Cut’ Depicts the Armenian Diaspora Through a Searching Father

September 18, 2015 By administrator

Tahar Rahim as an Armenian refugee in “The Cut.” Credit Gordon Muehle/Strand Releasing

By NICOLAS RAPOLDSEPT. 17, 2015,

Fatih Akin’s “The Cut” brings the monumental scale of an epic to the Armenian genocide of 1915 without toning down the murderous cruelty and upheaval of the events.

The film depicts the forced diaspora and mass suffering through the grueling search of a bereft, wandering father. Nazaret (Tahar Rahim) is a well-off craftsman in the Ottoman Empire when he is wrenched away from his family one night by Turkish soldiers during a mass roundup of Armenian men. He proceeds to survive forced labor and marches and an execution attempt that cuts his vocal cords. Reports that his twin daughters may be alive lead him to Aleppo and refuge in a soap factory; from there, he chases tips overseas to Cuba, the American South and beyond.

Nazaret’s inability to speak makes him especially tragic (and may double as a reference to the longtime silence maintained by Turkey concerning the genocide). It’s a considerably risky move by Mr. Akin, and it echoes the unevenly balanced priorities of the film.

Great care is taken with the panoramic vistas of Turkish badlands and richly detailed interiors, the searchingly cyclical motif of the score and the portrayal of the wearying, touch-and-go ordeals of encountering friends and enemies on the road. But there’s a recurring — and frankly mystifying — shortfall when it comes to the screenplay, by Mr. Akin and Mardik Martin. Too many scenes feel routine or clichéd, sometimes even those depicting extreme experiences.

Mr. Akin made his name with the dramatic vim and vigor of films like “Head-On,” and one can only wish “The Cut” had gone that extra mile.

Opinion: The Armenian Diaspora needs an own Constitution

August 28, 2015 By administrator

By Appo Jabarian, USA Armenianlife

It is not by a coincidence that millions of Armenians are in a diaspora.

Essentially, the Armenian Diaspora is a particular feature of almost a century of existence. It represents almost 75% of the Armenian population of the world.

If you ask an Armenian question in Yerevan, Stepanakert, or even Paris, Moscow, New York, Marseille, Tokyo, Tehran, Berlin, Beirut, Bourj Hammoud, Ainjar, Kessab, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Sydney and in other places where the Diaspora, what he wants most for his people, his answer could be frequently: “The survival of the Armenian nation.”

If the question presented was: “What do they say meant by survival of the Armenian nation? “Many were asked” Survival of the Armenian state and the Armenian Diaspora. “

We the People…

In another question in the suite could be: “How can this survival? “It is very possible that the answer is” By systematically building the two entities. “

The times of the Soviet regime, after his fall and resurgence of Armenia as an independent state in 1991, the Armenian diaspora has proven to be indispensable.

During the liberation war of Artsakh against Azerbaijan, during the current political struggle against an omnipotent Turkey economically and politically and against its ally Azerbaijan, it is recognized that the Armenian Diaspora has become a decisive factor in favor of Armenia and Artsakh.

In recent decades, because of his vigilance and his pro-Armenian activity, the Diaspora has sought to provoke Turkey’s ire on several occasions.

Despite the fact that the Diaspora is not organized as it should be in it either, it is still dynamic, and on such fundamental issues as stability, protection and security of the nation with its two republics Armenia and sisters of Artsakh and its large diaspora, it is decidedly action-oriented.

But it could be that the coming decades are carriers of extreme challenges towards Armenia and the Diaspora.

The Armenian nation does not deserve the homeland and the Diaspora will engage in against the performance-one over the other, and so to the detriment of the nation as a whole.

In other words, the two segments of the nation must work together much like a German or Japanese car – durable, reliable, modern, practical, harmonious, efficient and always open to improvements. These two integral parts should continuously and indefinitely strive to maintain a synergistic coexistence.

Civil society in Armenia-Artsakh has a fundamental right: the Armenian Constitution which provides and regulates the rights and duties of the various branches of government.

For its part, civil society, the Diaspora does not have at its disposal a constitution nor a code of common rules and regulations that promote and maximize individual and collective work.

Some organizations in the Diaspora can claim that they have their own internal constitution or rules. However, there is no Constitution of the Armenian Diaspora that obliges and organizes the diaspora as a whole.

The Armenians of the Diaspora are entitled to organize themselves as a transnational community with the famous motto “all for one, one for all! “.

They have the right to declare themselves as holders of shares or ownership rights to a supreme structure of their diaspora democratically elected and therefore all organizations. It is a sacred right comes with rights and duties.

Under the Constitution of the Diaspora, all organizations and institutions based on faith or the community, should be treated as assets and cash on the balance sheet of the nation, and be accountable to the entire nation, morally and financially.

As beneficiaries of the moral and financial support of the Diaspora, all organizations must be signatories of a recognition or a Memorandum of accountability and transparency.

A very active diaspora and malfunctioning can be regenerated by a Constitution that definitely will give positive energy to the base, rehabilitate more defective organizations and ultimately promote a transnational together quite active and supportive.

Do we need unity or a framework for emulation and cooperation?

We need to Armenians a framework for emulation and cooperation under one constitutional dome. Such a framework can be developed and maintained by a Constitution of the Diaspora living.

By Appo Jabarian, USA Armenianlife

Head of Publication, Publishing Director

Other information available: on Armenian Life Magazine

Al-Monitor: Armenian diaspora spread over 70 countries symbolizes survival rather than victimhood

April 18, 2015 By administrator

By Pinar Tremblay
Al-Monitor

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu delivered a heartwarming message Feb. 15: “[The] Armenian diaspora is not an enemy diaspora, it is ours. We will keep reaching out to them.” Yet on March 18, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called upon the Armenian diaspora, saying, “Come let’s go over the archives. We can assign experts to evaluate all documents, bring your documents. It is not ethical to go traveling around different countries, distributing money, establishing lobbies to carry anti-Turkish propaganda.”

The Armenian diaspora has become the scapegoat for the Turkish-Armenian conflict. As the commemoration of the Armenian genocide centennial approaches, the Turkish government keeps sending mixed messages.

For example, on March 24, disturbing graffiti appeared on the wall of an Armenian church in Bakirkoy district of Istanbul. It read: “Who cares if you are all Armenians [referring to the liberal groups standing with the minorities with the slogan ‘We are all Armenians’], one of us being Ogun Samast [the murderer of prominent Armenian Turkish author Hrant Dink] is sufficient.” The graffiti, which caused an uproar on social media, was promptly cleaned up. Another one appeared the next day reading: “Holy Year 1915.”

The existence of the diaspora itself poses the most difficult question: How did the Armenian population decline to 60,000 from 2.5 million at the end of the 19th century in Anatolia? While Turkish views on the Armenian issue are divided, there seems to be a general conviction in Turkey that the Armenian diaspora is now strong enough to affect Turkey’s international politics.

In a piece for the Armenian Weekly, columnist Raffi Bedrosyan expressed the popular perception among Turks about the “evil” Armenian diaspora.

Bedrosyan lives in Canada, as a pianist and engineer working diligently to save the Armenian properties all around Anatolia. In September 2012, he gave the first Armenian piano concert since 1915 in the Surp Giragos church of Diyarbakir. He was also active in the reconstruction of the church.

Bedrosyan told Al-Monitor, “Erdogan, AKP [Justice and Development Party] and generally the Turkish state and state-controlled media misguidedly portray Armenians as three distinct groups: the good, the bad and the poor. The small Armenian community in Istanbul is regarded as the good — obedient, agreeable and easy to manipulate. The diaspora is regarded as the bad — the hateful enemy obsessed with genocide recognition, compensation and reparations. The Armenians in Armenia are regarded as the poor — completely desperate, dependent in every way on the Russians or the diaspora finances. [The] Turkish state and Erdogan fail to see that all three groups share a common pain since 1915 and a common goal for a just resolution. Yes, perhaps the diaspora is the most vocal among the three in pushing for acknowledgment and justice; however, Turkey has completely shut out any attempt for reconciliation with all three groups — closed borders with Armenia and no dialogue with any Armenian entity from neither diaspora nor Armenia regarding 1915. I am a minority within the Armenian diaspora advocating direct dialogue with Turkey, instead of pressuring Turkey through third states, but after several attempts for dialogue, encouraged by Davutoglu’s statements such as ‘Armenian diaspora is also our diaspora,’ I have become disillusioned at the fake attempts by government officials and academia. I see absolutely no willingness at state level to acknowledge historical facts and truths.”

Indeed, Al-Monitor interviewed over 20 prominent Armenian academics, journalists, artists, pundits and pastors from Australia, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Syria and Lebanon, as well as different parts of the United States, and all agreed with Armenians’ demand for Turkey to officially recognize the genocide.

Kevork Oskanian, a research fellow at the Center for Russian, Eurasian and European Studies at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, told Al-Monitor that beyond the shared wish of an official recognition of genocide, “there are actually a great number of different ideas [among the diaspora]. Some believe the matter should stop there; others go so far as to advocate the resurrection of the Sevres Treaty and Wilson’s arbitral award. The overwhelming majority are somewhere in between these two extremes, demanding, say, symbolic acts, or more concrete — financial — forms of compensation.”

Asked about the Armenians of the Levant, he said, “They have a special status in the diaspora partly because they are the oldest and best developed postgenocide communities; the ancestors of many people in France, the USA … passed through Lebanon or Syria before heading West, and, of course, 1915’s ‘killing fields’ were situated mostly in Syria, giving the place an added significance to Armenians worldwide. In that sense, the Syrian civil war has done immense damage to the Syrian Armenian community, which used to be one of the most dynamic in the region, and is considered the ‘mother community’ by many in the diaspora.”

Scout Tufankjian, a photojournalist and author of the upcoming book “There Is Only the Earth: Images from the Armenian Diaspora Project” that documents contemporary Armenian communities in more than 20 countries, told Al-Monitor, “Beyond [the recognition of genocide] views [of the diaspora] really vary — from those who would be satisfied with recognition to others who would push for reparations to others who would want to re-establish Western Armenia in our historic homeland.” A New York resident now, Tufankjian has just returned from a year in Istanbul.

“Views on modern Turkey also really vary,” she added. “Some people hold that the responsibility for recognition lies with every Turkish citizen; others see this more as a governmental issue. Some people have no issue with traveling to eastern Turkey to tour the villages of their ancestors; others would never step foot in a Turkey that does not acknowledge the genocide. Even the attitude that people take toward the Kurdish apology [for their role in the genocide] has varied. Many have accepted it warmly and wholeheartedly and look for opportunities to work together; others distrust it.”

Nigol Bezjian, a filmmaker in Beirut, told Al-Monitor, “Armenians in the Levant may have more pragmatic and practical approach to deal with the past in this modern time due to the proximity to their homeland.” Bezjian, born in Aleppo, Syria, has directed the movie “I Left My Shoes in Istanbul” documenting the travels of a Lebanese Armenian to Istanbul in 2012.

Armen Georgian, a political analyst for France 24, is more pessimistic about the relations between the diaspora and Turkish government and the impact of Syrian civil war. “I see the stalemate continuing,” he told Al-Monitor. “Last year, Erdogan made a statement on the Armenians that would have been unthinkable for a Turkish leader 20 years ago, but it fell far short of the unequivocal apology that the diaspora has been demanding for a century. This year Erdogan has taken a harder line, trying to make sure that the Gallipoli centenary overshadows the centenary commemorations in Yerevan. So I think the rift between him and the diaspora has widened. In addition, some members of the diaspora hold the Turkish government indirectly responsible for the destruction of Armenian heritage in Syria by the Islamic State.”

When asked whether the diaspora’s actions benefits Armenians in Turkey, Georgian said, “I think that international awareness of the genocide centenary makes it difficult for the Turkish government to take measures against Armenians — back in March 2010 the prime minister threatened to deport 100,000 Armenian migrants — but I would not rule out a further spike in tensions after April 24 that could make both Armenian migrants and Turkish citizens of Armenian origin feel uncomfortable.”

An Australian Armenian, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, told Al-Monitor about the position of the Armenian community in Australia, “The battle at Gallipoli, which began April 25, 1915, was a significant aspect in the formation of Australian national identity. While Australian Armenians are keen to stand up and commemorate the genocide as a community this April, they wish for official recognition from Australia and, of course, official recognition from Turkey.”

One of the biggest diaspora groups is in Southern California, Harut Sassounian, the publisher of the California Courier, expressed concerns about the reactions of rest of the world as well, wondering, “Is it sufficient to criticize Turkey for genocide denial, while ignoring world leaders who attend the Gallipoli ceremonies?”

Whatever your answer is to Sassounian’s question, one cannot deny that diverse and determined Armenian diaspora spread over 70 countries symbolizes survival rather than victimhood.

Armenian The Case for Self-Reconciliation

February 20, 2015 By administrator

By keghart.com editorial
We live in a time when money, opportunity and position are bestowed upon those who enter academia or careers under the rubric of “conflict resolution,” also known as “reconciliation.” A more fitting name is the “Reconciliation–Industrial Complex,” or RIC.

Like the better-known term, “Military–Industrial Complex,” RIC refers to the overlapping aims and financial relationships that exist among government officials, powerful legislators, lobbyists, NGOs, think tanks, academia, media and creative fields, and the industries and corporations that support them. These parties provide funding and other support for government programs, public and private policy initiatives, salaried positions, grants, and political access that will serve their selfish interests rather than the needs of the general citizenry.

Quite often, Armenians whose livelihoods depend on RIC ridicule or dismiss as “unrealistic,” “immature,” or “living in a fantasy world” those critics who advise against indiscriminately embracing so-called reconciliation initiatives without making absolutely clear that genuine Armenian goals include genocide acknowledgment, reparations and restitution from Turkey.

Among the Armenian organizations that receive funding from Western interests and governments who themselves have agendas that may not agree with the Armenian national interest are the Caucasus Institute of Yerevan; the Civil Society Institute of Yerevan; the Civilitas Foundation; the Eurasia Partnership Foundation; the Golden Apricot Film Festival; the Hrant Dink Foundation; the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation; the Regional Studies Centre; and the Yerevan Press Club.

The pro-RIC interests who fund these Armenian organizations include: European Union; Council of Europe; British Embassy in Yerevan; U.S. Embassy in Armenia; U.S. Embassy of Azerbaijan; Honorary Consulate of Israel to Armenia; Embassy of Germany to Armenia; Kingdom of the Netherlands; U.S. Department of State; U.S Agency for International Development (USAID); Open Society Institute; Open Society Foundation-Turkey; Eurasia Foundation; Global Dialogue Foundation; Heinrich Boll Foundation; Goethe Institute; Friedrich Ebert Foundation; Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom; Enka Construction Company of Turkey; Turkey-Armenian Fellowship Scheme; and Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).

How do we know that these pro-RIC Western interests are sincere if they and/or their governments will not even acknowledge the Armenian genocide, let alone approve of restitution of any kind? For example, a top member of the American Jewish Committee — which works against Armenian genocide recognition and backs Israeli military and political support of Azerbaijan — sits on the honorary board of the Civilitas Foundation. Given the strategy of the West (i.e. the U.S., Europe, and NATO) to use Turkey to penetrate the Caucasus and Central Asia, and use Armenia as a doormat, their grants to Armenian organizations should be viewed with considerable skepticism.

Ironically, there are Armenians who sermonize about forging friendships with, and exercising forbearance towards, Turks but who will not, in practice, extend that very same courtesy to their fellow Armenians.

Given the severity of Turkish barbarism that was unleashed upon the Armenian people before, during, and after the Genocide, it is paradoxical that Armenian reconciliationists seem willing to cooperate with Turks in a way that they are not willing to do with their own compatriots.

There are Armenians in the RIC camp who lack a brotherly attitude towards those Armenians who view so-called reconciliation efforts with skepticism. There is also no shortage of Armenians who hold grudges because of disagreements with fellow Armenians. And it is unfortunately common to encounter Armenians who envy, demean and hinder the efforts of, other Armenians.

Such opponents could discuss their differences, empathize, agree to coexist, cooperate, or make amends.

But then, should not understanding go both ways? Should not Armenian critics of so-called reconciliation try to find common ground with Armenian reconciliationists? This is difficult to accomplish if conflicts – whether intra- or inter-ethnic – are not dealt with and resolved but are instead swept under the carpet. Thus, we are left with pleas to “be nice to each other,” but not to discuss anything considered contentious.

Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But, is it informed opinion? As evidenced by who funds “reconciliation” initiatives, misinformation can skew our opinions. For example, how many well-meaning reconciliationists are aware that many of the funders do not recognize the Armenian genocide and are, in fact, pro-Turkey and pro-Azerbaijan?

Because the passage of years can soften people’s judgments of a heinous crime, time is on the side of the perpetrator. Thus, the perpetrating side’s stonewalling may be rewarded with forgetfulness. Meaningful Armenian action, therefore, must be taken in the present and not in some vague future.

It is supremely important that Armenian reconciliationists refrain from signing away Armenian rights to reparations and the restitution of Western Armenia. They should drop their minimalist “all we want is an acknowledgment or apology” plea.

There really is no such thing as Turkish-Armenian “reconciliation.” The word means a resumption of intimate relations after a breach. This does not describe the relations Turks had with Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The word better describes how we Armenians could and should unite to reach our greatest national potential.

Today, the internal strangulation of our people in Armenia at the hands of corrupt government officials continues. How long will the global Armenian nation – including Diasporan organizations who silently condone the actions of the current regime — tolerate the annihilation of what is left of Armenia?

If we wish to survive as a nation and see the continued moral, spiritual, and material progress of Armenia and Armenians, true reconciliation with one another on the eve of our genocide centenary must begin now. In the words of poet-activist Yeghishe Charents, “O, Armenian people, your only salvation is in the power of your unity.”