ArmInfo. We need to revisit the history of our Genocide (the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey) in order to comprehend the events, reasons behind them, our perceptions of it, and who was involved. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan made a similar statement during a meeting with representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Switzerland.
He also wondered why there was no discussion of the Armenian Genocide in 1939, but it became a topic in 1950. <How did this shift occur? Should we understand these questions or not? > he asked.
Let us recall that in October of last year, Armenian Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan stated in parliament that promotion of the agenda of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire is not the prerogative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry. He then repeated Ankara's long-standing narratives that historians should address the issue. Mirzoyan's recent statement only confirms experts' previous concerns that the current Armenian authorities are willing to prioritize normalizing relations with Turkey over their national interests, including the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Furthermore, in April of last year, the secretary of the ruling Civil Contract Party (CCP), Artur Hovhannisyan, responded to Prime Minister's use of the term Mets Eghern (Great Massacre) instead of Armenian Genocide on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. He assured journalists that the CCP's agenda does not include abandoning the term genocide. "This is not an option. We are a people who have survived genocide," he said.
Following this, the Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide expressed concern and confusion regarding certain aspects of Pashinyan's April 24, 2024 statement. <Rather than attributing blame for the genocide to the leaders of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Pashinyan shifts the focus to the Armenians and their apparent failure to understand the politics of the time. He seems to be referring to the actions of the Russian Empire and Western powers during that period, who had promised to protect the Armenians but failed to do so. This failure exacerbated the Ottoman leaders' perception of external threats to the empire and cast the Armenians in a negative light as "foreign agents."
However, he does not state this directly; instead, he appears to believe that the Armenians brought the genocide upon themselves through their misunderstanding of the political situation. Pashinyan's points in this passage seem ironic, given that he himself has accepted Western offers to save Armenia from its hostile neighbors. However, his points also echo Turkey's official position on the Armenian Genocide, which has justified it. By repeating the Turkish version of the events of 1915-1923, the Armenian Prime Minister risks absolving Turkey of responsibility for the Armenian Genocide, and downplaying all previous efforts for recognition. In addition, it may significantly complicate the ongoing work for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and holding Turkey accountable - something that the worldwide Armenian Diaspora, as well as genocide scholars and activists, have been fighting for," the Institute's statement runs.
Recall that the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire was the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenians honor the victims of the tragedy every year on April 24. Turkey traditionally denies accusations of mass extermination of over 1.5 million Armenians.
The Armenian Genocide is acknowledged by many states and respected international organizations. Uruguay was the first country to recognize the Genocide in 1965, followed by Cyprus, Russia, Greece, Canada, Lebanon, Belgium, France, Paraguay, Argentina, Sweden, Bolivia, Great Britain, Holland, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Venezuela, Poland, Chile, Switzerland, Brazil, Luxembourg, Austria, the Vatican, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, as well as the interim government of Libya, the USA, Syria, the European Parliament, and the World Council of Churches.
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