By John V. Gureghian *

Before answering this key question, we note that there has been in recent decades, an important fact. To quote the countries located to the west of the Republic of Armenia and current which was the historical homeland of the Armenian people for nearly 3,000 years, most do not say “Armenia”, but “Anatolia”, “Eastern Anatolia” “Asia Minor”, “eastern provinces”, “Eastern Turkey”, etc..

Article 16 of the Treaty of San Stefano of 1878, concerning reforms in Turkish Armenia, called the “Armenia” good. Even in 1966, when a massive earthquake whose epicenter was Varto between Mush and Erzerum, northwest of Lake Van, an English newspaper had headlined the event: “Earthquake in Armenia.” That would surely be the case today.

It is true that everything has been done since 1915 by various Turkish authorities to erase forever the word “Armenia”. After emptying Armenia its lawful inhabitants, we removed all Armenians. Since the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), the Turkish authorities have repeated the story in their own way. The names of towns, villages, rivers, mountains (Armenian Taurus became eastern Taurus), etc.. have been changed. The list would be very long if we had the list. We even lately, changed the names of animals. Indeed, in 2005, the Turkish Ministry of the Environment has rechristened the breed of sheep Ovis Armeniana renaming Ovis Orientalis anatolicus, same for the deer, its scientific name Capreolus Capreolus Armenius, which was renamed … Capreolus Caprelus Capreolus!

What is amazing is that even when commemorative evenings on the Armenian Genocide, the terms used by historians and specialists Genocide, to quote the country during the discussions are again: “Anatolia”, “Anatolia Eastern “,” Asia Minor “,” eastern provinces “,” Eastern Turkey “, etc.. Consequently, when we put the legitimate and fundamental question, “but why the Turks they massacred the Armenians? “Responses are often next to reality. It would seem it for reasons of “religious, ethnic, racial, financial, etc.. “While the main reason that is often overlooked is territorial. I remember it was at a formal dinner, someone had asked this key question, addressing a political leader of the diaspora. His answer was very detailed about “religious, ethnic, etc. …” reasons. I pointed out to him after his speech, he had to forget to mention the territorial reasons.

Do not forget that in 1914 Armenia was on the verge of independence. On the eve of the war, the reforms in Armenia had a breakthrough. Despite the reluctance of Germany and Austria, the European powers, under pressure from the Russians and French, reached a compromise settlement which included seven Armenian provinces in the form of two large autonomous administrative regions (north : Redfish, Trabzon, Erzurum, south Van, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Kharput), all under the supervision of inspectors general European neutral countries, Dutch and Norwegian Westenenk Hoff (who will be expelled a few days before the declaration of war by Turkey). Thus, Armenia, after so many years of suffering and massacres (especially between 1894-1896) had reached the threshold of independence. The issue was crucial to the nationalist Turks, as Western Armenia (without Cilicia), with its seven provinces had a total area of ​​328,800 km2 (about the size of Romania). Alone, the province of Sebaste (Armenia Minor), with its 83 700 km2 was three times greater than the Fed. current of Armenia (or Belgium). Faced with a large predictable independence Armenia, which would once again cut the territory of the former Ottoman Empire, Turkish leaders wanted to stop this “shrinking” process. In addition, the Turkish leaders, probably nostalgic for the past glory of the Ottoman Empire, wanted to recreate a vast empire (pan-Turkic movement), but this time turning to the East, by the junction with the “brotherly peoples” Azerbaijan and the vast Central Asian Turkic all (hence the war with Russia), as opposed to previous multiracial empire. Again this is Armenian space that would have prevented the future junction.

The logic of young Turkish leaders was simple to Stop the foreseeable independence of Armenia, it was necessary to liquidate the Armenian Question … by liquidating all Armenians of the Empire (except Constantinople). The (First) World War was to them a unique opportunity. To Talaat, the principal cause of Genocide of 1915, it was a “question concerning Turkish interests and the country,” as he confided to his friend Vartkes.

Vartkes Serenkulian, heroes and MP had escaped the raid on April 24, 1915, the day of initiation of Genocide in Constantinople, where 650 intellectuals were arrested. He took advantage of this time to go check with his friend Talaat. Excerpt from Hayk “Future of the Armenian Diaspora” (capital letters are due to the author): “- So you [the Young Turks] will continue the work of Sultan Hamid? – Yes! We will do what is required by TURKISH INTEREST! – Pacha as friendship between us, I have a family, have mercy on her, if I am in danger tell me that I digress.

Vartkes, we need you to understand, it is a QUESTION CONCERNING THE HOMELAND, friendship and personal relationships have no place here. Do not rest, go away! – And Vartkes kissed her hand. “

The great writer and member Krikor Zohrap, had also escaped the first roundup of 24 April. He had escaped the first wave of arrests because … he was at the club that night, and playing cards with his friends MPs Young Turks! A few days before his friend Talaat had kissed on leaving (as a last farewell!), Which had also surprised the writer. Before coming to power (in 1908) of the Young Turks, Talaat wanted by the police of the Sultan had found refuge with his best friend, Zohrap, where he was hiding.

Krikor Zohrap and Vartkes Serenkulian will be arrested and deported shortly after. After torturing the killers will complete Zohrap crushing his head with rocks, near Urfa. Vartkes will also tortured and murdered near Urfa, in Garakeupri. The Young Turks leaders believed that even losing the war, they succeed in permanently get rid of the Armenian Question. Proof, Mustafa Kemal turned defeat into victory in 1918, driving the Armenian survivors (excluding new massacres organized by Topal Osman). He appropriated all national and individual properties of the Armenians and imposed current borders of the Turkish Republic on the ruins of Armenia. Moreover, at a time when U.S. President W. Wilson traced by an official document, the future border between Armenia and Turkey, according to the mission that had been entrusted to the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920, Kemal crushed the new Republic of Armenia, in a bloodbath, to cancel any boundary constraint imposed by the treaty and still scrape some 20,000 km2 (as large as the State of Israel) in the former Russian Armenia. This was granted and endorsed by Lenin treaty of Kars and Moscow him. As in Nakhchivan, the Turks surrendered to the Soviets provided they do not make it but the Armenians to Azerbaijan and by keeping a veto.

A small anecdote illustrating how a tiny territory of several tens of hectares had importance in the eyes of Turkish nationalists when signing the Treaty of Kars (October 1921), the Soviets (who apparently had a bad conscience) asked the Turks to keep the ruins of Ani, the historic former capital of Armenia, the Armenian side, since it was adjoin the future border. This was flatly refused! The annihilation of Armenia and its people, but especially the non condemnation of this crime by the international community, serve as an example to Hitler told his generals (to encourage them to barbarism), August 22, 1939 before attacking Poland: “… Who remembers the annihilation of the Armenians? “.

Hitler failed (thankfully) to remove Poland from the surface of the planet, as did Talaat for Western Armenia, however there is still exterminated six million Poles, three million Jews.

This is definitely to grab Armenia (Cilicia and) … that the Turks massacred Armenians. Hranouch Kharatyan …

Reproduced with permission of the author

* John V. Gureghian immigrated to Soviet Armenia in 1947 and returned to France in 1965. He is the author of several books including the “Golgotha ​​of Lesser Armenia” and “Armenian easily.” Architect graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan (Armenia), it is also a jazz musician and painter. Jean Gureghian is one of the pioneers of abstract painting in the USSR. With his wife, he began to translate the Armenian Tintin (Sigest editions). In 1970, registered with the College of Architects of France, he is the author of many accomplishments in Armenia, France and Africa, including: residential buildings, industrial buildings, hospit,  See also HERE

Sunday, May 18, 2014,
Jean Eckian © armenews.com