On the occasion of the release of his book The Empire and the 5 Kings , Bernard-Henri Lévy said he wanted to present it to three communities in priority: Jews, Kurds and Armenians. This was done on April 25 at the invitation of the Armenian News Magazine , and this on the premises of the UGAB Paris. For nearly 2 hours, the philosopher and writer explained his reading of contemporary barbarities, especially those related to the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, highlighting his rejection of Turkish fascism against a hundred people very attentive, who have asked questions at the end of this conference and had their book signed.

Before entering the AGBU room, BHL was promoted by Cyrille Eldin, a journalist for Canal +.

Why come to present this book to the Armenians, asked Ara Toranian, editor of the Armenian News Magazine , to start this discussion. ” The medal I received from your hands 3 years ago at the CCAF dinner, I received it with real emotion, without words in the air, ” recalled Bernard-Henri Levy. The meeting of 25 April was therefore an opportunity to express its gratitude to the Armenian people, but also to highlight one of the main threads of the book: the question of Turkey and the resurgence of Ottoman temptation today. If he admits to having been part of the beginning of those who believed in Erdogan’s arrival, he clearly thinks today ” that pan-Turkism is at the root of his regime “. If he had the idea of ​​the book The Empire and the 5 Kings during a trip to Kurdistan, the writer calls for solidarity between ” the people in excess “, the ” unaccounted for by the nations ” .

” The thesis of my book , the philosopher argued, is that today there are five master-singers in the world, the two most perverse are Erdogan and Putin. But they are in an alliance not unnatural, but counter-historical . Regretting that few people do not care: ” Europe lies down to this, that’s what I write in this book, that’s why I’m revolted. “

Before making a confession: ” If I were to die tomorrow, there is one thing I would be ashamed of for me: it was not being able to convince of the necessity of intervention in Syria “. Comparing the situations between Libya and Syria, ” from a place where one intervened and one where one did not intervene “.

Ara Toranian then asked him about Bashar Al Assad, perceived by the Christian minorities as a protector against the Islamists. He uses it as a strategic shield and human shield estimated Bernard-Henri Levy. What attitude do you have towards this? ” An international supervision for a given time? It will bring back bad memories, but if it’s the price to pay … “he said, adding that their fate was a top priority.

ournalist Le Monde , Gaidz Minassian then spoke, becoming at first the advocate of the devil: ” These five kings you speak – in China, Turkey, Iran, Russia, the Arab world – n do they have reasons to blame the West? “. To which Bernard-Henri Lévy replied: ” If I were Turkish, I will feel more humiliated by Erdogan than by the Westerners! “. But the author ensures not to be disenchanted, not to have lost courage – as proof of the publication of this book that ends with a message full of hope, ” but with some tears of melancholy, dedicated to Kurds ” – declaring under the applause: ” Erdogan, I think it will end up in the trash bin of history “.

According to him, it is up to Europe to take up the torch, since the United States is a little behind, the latter saying in words that Iran is his worst enemy, but leaving him such a gift in Syria, especially to Afrin. The problem: ” How to take up the torch if there is no solidarity between European countries? Yes, there is a war of civilization within Europe, and it is this battle that we must now lead “.