Oskanian: A government that asks its people to give up their most  cherished symbols in the name of diplomacy is not leading; it is  submitting

ArmInfo.  The RA government's decision  to remove the image of Mount Ararat from the stamps of passport control, along with whispers that it may soon erase it from  Armenia's  coat of arms, marks a troubling moment in  our national history. Former RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan  wrote  this in a post on his Facebook page. His message reads as  follows:

"Mount Ararat is visible from nearly every corner of Yerevan and  beyond. Its snow-capped peaks dominate our skyline, our memory, and  our imagination. For Armenians, Ararat is not just a mountain across  the border in Turkey; it is the heart of our heritage. It is etched  on the Armenian coat of arms, carved into church stones, painted on  our walls, and displayed in almost every Armenian home around the  world. It is the mountain of Noah's Ark, where, according to the Book  of Genesis, humanity restarted after the flood.  In Armenian lore, it  is also where Noah descended to settle on the territory that is now  Armenia.  Furthermore, with Armenians being the first nation to adopt  Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, no other symbol so  perfectly unites Armenia's faith, history, and identity.

That Ararat today lies on Turkish soil does not diminish its place in  Armenian culture and identity.  Symbols are not about jurisdiction;  they are about belonging. To erase Ararat from our official documents  and symbols is to sever Armenians from their deepest roots. And to do  so under pressure from Turkey, as appears to be the case, is a  dangerous act of appeasement.

No one can reasonably claim that Armenia's use of Ararat on its coat  of arms or stamps constitutes a territorial claim on Turkey. The  world is full of similar examples. Ireland, Greece, and India, to  name a few, use images that symbolize territories beyond their  current state borders. No responsible government should allow another  state to dictate its state and cultural symbols. The presence of  Ararat on our coat of arms and in our public life is not an act of  defiance; it is an affirmation of identity. Armenia has every right  to keep it there, just as Armenians in every corner of the diaspora  have the right to hang its image in their living rooms.

The irony is that symbols like Ararat could, in a wiser political  climate, be bridges rather than barriers.  Turkey could acknowledge  that Armenians have a special relationship with Ararat without seeing  it as a threat. Indeed, recognizing the depth of that bond could be  an act of reconciliation, not division. But reconciliation requires  honesty and respect, not the erasure of what Armenians hold most  dear.  In the end, this is not only about passports, stamps, or coats  of arms. It is about whether Armenia will stand firm in preserving  its own identity or allow that identity to be edited by others. A  government that asks its people to give up their most cherished  symbols in the name of diplomacy is not leading; it is submitting.   Mount Ararat is in Turkey. But it will always belong to the Armenian  soul. No decree, no erased stamp, no redrawn coat of arms can change  that truth. And a government that forgets this truth is not appeasing  its neighbor-it is betraying its people."