Vartan Melkonian is one of the conductors of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Great Britain. There is a century, his ancestors lived in Mus, eastern Turkey, until Ottoman leaders took the decision to “deport” Armenians.

Melkonian Veronica and her daughter will be in Turkey in February for their project “Walk for Armenia” – a journey of 1000 km (621-miles) that they plan to start in Van, eastern Turkey, and finish with Orphanage birds in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The stretch of road Syrian poses a serious risk to Melkonians but they are determined to walk despite the threat of war and the Islamic state (IS). Radikal: How did this project “Walk for Armenia”? Was it you or the idea of ​​your daughter?

Melkonian: This is the idea of ​​my daughter. She suggested that we walk the same distance in the footsteps of our ancestors to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Just as our ancestors did.

Radikal: You do not have security problems? You feel no concern following the assassination of editor of Agos Hrant Dink in Istanbul in 2007 and the assassination of [Italian activist] Pippa Bacca, who came in 2008 in Turkey with its “Bride of the peace “?

Melkonian: I am aware of the murders of Hrant Dink and two Pippa Bacca. These are very sad incidents. But when my daughter was first proposed this idea there a year, she had not seen the security problem. Being a university student, she is aware that it leaves a life free behind in Britain for this project.

Radikal: The danger today is not limited to Turkey. The war in Syria is ongoing and there is the threat of IS.

Melkonian: The circumstances were different when she first got the project. Naturally, reports of people abducted, raped and beheaded are not part of his daily life. Today, the area has become polarized.

Radikal: Will you stick to the road in February?

Melkonian: That’s our plan.

Radikal: Depending on your track record, you can enter Syria from Kobani. Will you change your plan in line with the latest situation?

Melkonian: When we started the project the IS was not there. We do not expect to change our way at this stage.

Radikal: What reactions do you think that such a project evoking the genocide during its 100th anniversary will generate in Turkey?

Melkonian: I think all people, everyone should be prepared for such projects. This project will be a modest and graceful way to remember our loved ones. My daughter and I will only remember our ancestors.

Radikal: What are the first reactions? Do people have contacted you through your website?

Melkonian: Overall it is an individual effort. Our sole purpose is to commemorate the family members who died 100 years ago without a trace. We have been inundated with messages of support from around the world. And we are grateful to all of them.

Radikal: The Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I, also supported the project.

Melkonian: Yes, he did. But he was concerned about the safety conditions of our walk. Yet he sent a message to the world in the letter that we wrote. We posted on our website, www.walkingforarmenia.com. He said in his message that our project is an important initiative that will remind the world that the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government must never happen again.

Radikal: Will you make statements or initiate messages during the month of work?

Melkonian I will not have any political, religious or philosophical transmitted. I’ll just walk on burning issues still inside me. What happened to my ancestors did 100 years ago? Why were my parents lost their families at a very early age and lived in an orphanage far from home, far from home?

Radikal: Why did you choose Van as a starting point for the month of work? Why not Erzurum or Harput Diyarbakir, which is closer to the border? Where are your ancestors?

Melkonian: We chose Van for practical reasons. The family members were not born in Van. They were born in Mus, the hometown of Vartan Mamigonian, an important historical figure for Armenians. Anyway, our goal is to chart the course of 100 years ago.

Radikal: What stories have you in 1915?

Melkonian: I know nothing about my grandmothers and grandfathers, neither their names nor their ages in 1915, nothing. … I listened very few memories of my father about his parents. He remembered large gardens and houses. He was only six at the time, he was the eldest of the family. His only memory of his parents was the last time he saw them, surrounded by soldiers.

Radikal: Your route ends at the orphanage Bird Nest in Beirut where you grew up.

Melkonian: My parents were married in a refugee camp in Beirut. My mother died when I was 4 years old. That is why I was sent to the orphanage Nest Bird [headed by] Danish missionaries. One of the people at the orphanage Maria Jacobsen, had witnessed the massacres in 1915. That is why we will end up walking to the orphanage, my home, the only home I knew.

Radikal: What Turkey and Eastern Anatolia mean to you today?

Melkonian: For me, eastern Anatolia is a gloomy land. I am moved to any mention of it. After all, Mus, part of Greater Armenia, was the home of my ancestors.

Radikal: Finally, what is your message to Turkey and its people?

Melkonian: Just like the good things your family might have done in the past does not make you a good person, bad things they could have done does not make you a bad person. But the denial of historical facts is something that can have a negative impact on you and torment your soul.

RADIKAL JOURNAL