ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90
There are dates in the history of every nation which have the power of uniting, and may decide a nation's fate decades and centuries ahead. Wherever the Armenians live, in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, the United States, France, Lebanon, and any other part of the world, they have a common tragic date. It is the day of commemoration of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Every year on this day the Armenian families spread all over the world light a candle in the memory of the innocent victims. Those who are well-acquainted with the Armenian history will never ask the question why so many Armenians live outside their historical homeland. History replied to this question over 90 years ago. However, the country which perpetrated the first monstrous genocide in the 20th century and which is at present trumpeting its commitment to the European and universal values, unfortunately, has not repented of its crime yet. Moreover, the same country is brazenly making attempts at persuading the international community to withdraw the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. All the countries which recognized the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire had to face the counteraction of official Ankara. Thereby, those countries have had the opportunity to get convinced what values dominate in the Turkish society. These values maintain that all the countries which did their duty before the mankind are the enemies of the Turkish nation. Hysteria, blackmail, threats to break all kinds of relationships: here is the non-complete set of tools for imposing political pressure on those who have recognized or are going to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately, the efforts of Ankara are often successful. There are politicians, including those from the West, who would rather announce that the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted in 1948 has no retrospective power and, therefore, cannot be applied to the tragic events in West Armenia 90 years ago than break relationships with modern Turkey. The standpoint of such politicians can be considered to be impudence. Such a standpoint is not only a typical example of political hypocrisy but also provides ground for other similar crimes, and may be by the same country which has already perpetrated genocide once. What is the blockade of transport communication with Armenia by Turkey if not the consequence of leaving the Armenian Genocide unpunished? However, it is more surprising that the same country which has been objecting to the call of the civilized world to lift the blockade of Armenia and set up diplomatic relationships with Armenia pretends to the role of mediator in the Karabakh conflict not hesitating in defending the standpoint of Azerbaijan. This peculiar perception of the mediating mission by Turkey starts from its attitude towards the issue of recognition of the Genocide. And isn't the craving of the Azerbaijani authorities to give a special role to Turkey in the resolution of the Karabakh issue determined by the same circumstance? No other definition but permanent policy of genocide can characterize the attitude of the Azerbaijani authorities towards the Armenian population of this republic since its foundation. The vivid proof to this is the history of the former Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh. In the years of existence of NKAR the Baku authorities attempted to affect the demographic picture in the region in favour of the Azerbaijani population, intending to dissolve the Armenian sovereignty. To fulfill the task the Azerbaijani government used such methods as discrimination against the Armenians in the social, economic and cultural spheres, distortion of the Armenian history, prohibition of any economic and cultural relationships between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, destruction of Armenian cultural monuments and churches, formation of the image of the Armenian as the historical and archenemy of the Azerbaijani and other Turkic peoples. The Azerbaijani rulers implemented an identical policy against once the Armenian majority of the sovereign republic of Nakhijevan as a result of which no single Armenian had been left there by the mid-twentieth century. I think we must duly present the fate of the Armenians of Nakhijevan to the international community as a vivid example of what would await Nagorno Karabakh if it remained within Azerbaijan. All the aforementioned methods of the policy of discrimination implemented by the authorities of Baku provided ground for perpetration of another genocide of the Armenians, this time in Azerbaijan; the political forces of Azerbaijan do not even hide that they regard the «Armenian» policy of Ottoman and present day Turkey as exemplary. The Baku authorities were the worthy students of their teachers. The extermination and deportation of the Armenian population from the cities of Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad, Shamkhor, Khanlar, Shamakhi and other regions of Azerbaijan because of their nationality, the unexpected siege of NKR, the everyday bombing of Stepanakert intended to exterminate the peaceful population, the slaughter of women, children and elderly people in the village of Maragha, as well as the lasting blockade of Nagorno Karabakh and other crimes committed against the Armenians by the authorities of Baku perfectly suit the definition of genocide. In regard with crimes against humanity dubious standards, juggling of terms, distortion of problems and manipulation with historical facts are unacceptable. Crimes against humanity should be condemned by the international community, and the instigators and perpetrators should be punished. The international community cannot have an alternative to this attitude towards genocide. Otherwise, the fact of genocide is used for fulfilling their geopolitical, geo-economic, regional, home political and other interests. And since countries pursue various, often quite contradicting interests, it often happens so that in a certain period of time a certain government prefers to forget the fact of genocide and even indirectly justify it. At present the Azerbaijani government behaves exactly this way, for it imagines the «fair» resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to be the banishment of the entire native Armenian population from Artsakh. For this purpose Baku conducts a policy of provoking the world and regional powers to impose political and economic and even military pressure on Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, the propaganda machine of Azerbaijan has launched an unprecedented campaign of distortion of historical facts to the point of presenting Armenians to the international community as a nation which perpetrated genocide of Azerbaijanis. Unfortunately, the international community does not criticize this policy of Baku, whereas it contains the danger of instilling perpetual hatred in the present and future generations of the Azerbaijani community against the entire Armenian nation. The consequences of similar policies are destructive for the establishment of an atmosphere of confidence between the Azerbaijani and Armenian people destined to be neighbours. The consequence of this aggressive policy was the cruel murder of the Armenian officer by his Azerbaijani colleague in Budapest, which was a shock for the civilized world. The reaction of the Azerbaijani society to this crime, a society which accepted the murderer as a national hero, revealed the reprehensible consequences of the anti-Armenian policy of Baku authorities to the world. Therefore, as long as there are people in the Azerbaijani authorities who are directly involved in instigating massacres of ethnic Armenians both in Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh and who continue to instill hatred in the Azerbaijani society towards the Armenian nation, it will be very difficult for us to believe in the mutually acceptable and civilized resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, peaceful coexistence and mutually favourable cooperation of our peoples and countries in the future. Where is the way out? What lesson did we draw from the tragic events that took place 90 years ago and quite recently? How can we confront the aggressive intentions of our neighbours and prevent the past from repeating? Unfortunately, the modern practice of international relationships has not yet worked out effective methods of prevention or at least stopping of extermination of people because of their ethnic, racial and religious characteristics. The national liberation movement in Artsakh clearly indicated that in the modern world the most effective way of confronting threats of genocide is not the endless addresses to international organizations and expectation for their intervention, but self-organization of the society ready for armed defence to live in their land and defend their rights given by God. The statehood in Karabakh was the superior form of self-organization of the people of Artsakh which managed to solve the fatal problem of elimination of external military pressure threatening the security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh with the support of all the Armenians. Independent, democratic and strong Armenia, independent, democratic and strong Republic of Nagorno Karabakh: here are the chief guarantees for the security of our nation. The Turkish state which denies its offence must draw a lesson from its actions. It is first of all useful for Turkey and its people. Turkey which strives for becoming member of the European Union is facing the deciding choice of the further way of development of the country and society. In this context the attitude of Turkey towards the Armenian Genocide is a test on Turkish democracy, a sort of litmus test indicating the degree to which the country is fit to have a place in the union of the European countries. It is not a simple choice. It is inevitable too. This choice will decide the further role of Turkey in the region, including South Caucasus, in the formation of the geopolitical and geo-economic architecture. One thing is clear: in the South Caucasian region, and in the sphere of resolution of conflicts, particularly the Karabakh conflict, the performance of the geopolitical function to which Turkey pretends, requires from Turkey a high level of political maturity, as well as the ability of reconsidering conceptually its own attitude towards the factors which determine the attitude of the nations of the region towards the region and the Turkish state. Today the international community and first of all Turkey, has to answer the following question: what is more legitimate and acceptable from the standpoint of civilization, international law, international stability and security, the policy of denying the Armenian Genocide which allows perpetuating international crime or the search for opportunities for repentance and relief of the consequences of the genocide displaying historical and political courage? No Turkish government that succeeds another can evade responsibility lying more and more heavily on the shoulders of the Turkish state. Ladies and gentlemen, In two days Armenians all over the world, civilized humanity will pay homage to the victims of the genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. No matter how many years will pass, we will always live with pain in our hearts. The pain will go on with our nations throughout history. Much time may pass until our pain becomes the pain of humanity. Sooner or later this time will come. It is our duty, the duty of progressive mankind to make this time come sooner. April 24 will forever remind the generations that will come that there can be no statute of limitations for crimes against humanity.
- AA
CLAIMS NEED TO BE GROUNDED SCIENTIFICALLY
AAOn these days together with Armenians all over the world Artsakh commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Although these days are days of sorrow for the Armenian nation, we have stepped ...TURKEY MUST REPENT
ARTEM ABRAHAMIANEach Armenian, in whichever part of the world he lives, at the bottom of his heart keeps the undying memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. On these days it is the 90th anniversary of the Armenian ...ARTSAKH YOUTH ABOUT THE GENOCIDE
NVARD OHANJANIANIn the years of World War I, in 1914 - 1918 the Turkish rulers, with the support of Kaiser Germany and the connivance of the Western powers perpetrated massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The ...ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90
AAThere are dates in the history of every nation which have the power of uniting, and may decide a nation's fate decades and centuries ahead. Wherever the Armenians live, in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, ...
«FAMILY CARPETS OF ARTSAKH»
NVARD SOGHOMONIANCLAIMS NEED TO BE GROUNDED SCIENTIFICALLY
AAON THE EVE OF CELEBRATIONS
SVETLANA KHACHATRIANNKR NATIONAL STATISTICS SERVICE INFORMATION
AAARTSAKH YOUTH ABOUT THE GENOCIDE
NVARD OHANJANIANARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90
AATURKEY MUST REPENT
ARTEM ABRAHAMIANUS AMBASSADOR ELECTIONEERING IN AZERBAIJAN?
ALEXANDER GRIGORIANPREPARING FOR THE CENSUS
LAURA GRIGORIAN
- 1828 Griboedov is appointed Russian ambassador in Persia.
- 1888 Death of novelist Raffi (Hakob Melik-Hakobyan) in Tbilissi (Georgia). He was born in 1835.
- 1918 The Turkish army re-occupies Ghars (Western Armenia).
- 1918 Stepan Shahoomyan creates and leads the Council of People's Commissars in Baku.
- 1959 Death of painter Hakob Kodjoyan. He was born in 1883.
- 1990 The Greek Parliament approves a law designating April 24 as Remembrance Day of the Armenian victims of the Genocide perpetrated by Turkey.
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