Keghart
Following the Sèvres meeting, we interviewed Karen Mikaelyan, executive director of the IOC, in Moscow.
Following the Sèvres meeting, we interviewed Karen Mikaelyan, executive director of the IOC, in Moscow.
Karen Mikaelyan: The continuous process of assimilation, the closing down of schools, newspapers, national establishments, benevolent organizations etc. are all serious matters. We need re-organize before it’s too late.
HM: In your view what should be the goal of the Armenian Diaspora?
KM: The Armenian Diaspora is the result of centuries-long massacres, the Genocide and deportation of Western Armenians from our motherland. The majority of Diasporan population has Western Armenian roots. They are the descendants of the survivors of the Genocide. There is the unfinished judicial process of the Armenian Cause. The main reason for our failures and losses in the past has been disorganization. Our aim is to organize the Diaspora.
HM: Aren’t other organizations already performing that task?
KM: The lobbying efforts in Washington, Paris and elsewhere, the process of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress, the thankful work that "Hye Tad" and other American-Armenian organizations are performing constitute an incomplete struggle because they don’t tackle the issue of the just demands of Western Armenians. Let’s consider for a moment that America and Turkey recognize the Armenian Genocide. Then what? Nobody knows what would follow such recognition.
The Armenian authorities cannot think about the "then" because Armenia lacks the strength to dictate its demands on Turkey. The struggle for just demands is the mission of the Western Armenians, and in order to accomplish it there is need to create an authorized body or establishment. There must be an invitation for a 3rd National Congress. We must create a representative body, an NGO. This requires a huge effort.
HM: Why is it called the 3rd National Congress?
KM: Two such Western Armenian Congresses took place shortly before and during the first Republic of Armenia. They dealt with the refugees and presented the Armenian demands to the Peace Conference in Paris. Boghos Nubar Pasha led the mission.
The Treaty of Sèvres, recognized by the Great Powers of the day, met the Armenian demands, but we could not acquire what was ours because we did not have an army to defend our rights. Afterwards the process of pursuing our demands halted when Armenia became a Soviet republic.
Previous attempts to organize the Diaspora have ended in failure because of internal disputes and struggles as to who would lead the Diaspora. We took a step to organize The Western Armenian Congress leaving aside partisan and marginal disputes.
HM: Would you like to say anything further regarding the recent organizational conference in Sèvres for the establishment of the Western Armenian Congress?
KM: It seems absurd, but this movement started in Russia, by Russian-speaking Western Armenians. They are mostly intellectuals. Efforts are underway to organize a conference in Sèvres in the spring of 2011. The various Diaspora communities have to decide who to send as delegates, each community according to its local traditions and circumstances. At the conference we plan to prepare the organizational, financial and ideological documents and a list of our demands, which following the discussions will be transferred to the realm of the highest bodies of international law.
After 90 years of interruption, we must resume the struggle to pursue our just demands.
Keghart
Keghart
9 comments
Armenian National Congress
“Internal Diaspora” needs to earn our trust in the west
There are some unavoidable conceptions that are hard to ignore. Since "independence" in 1991 our brethren in Armenia have not been able to inspire the rest of us in the traditional Diaspora. Furthermore they have acted in such an irresponsible way that confidence in them has totally eroded. I cite this latter matter because by extension – probably a mistransference – our compatriots in Moscow or the "internal Diaspora" too are affected by this perception. They have to work hard to earn the trust of the rest of the Diaspora.
Good luck!
The question “can we trust?” is out of question
What about Karen Mikaelyan. I am a witness of what kind of great efforts he put in for organizing for all ARMENINS in the world to be TOGETHER. I very highly appreciate it.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Marine Vahradyan
Chief of "Vaspurakani Nor Serund" Compatriotic Union
Western Armenian Congress
The body came about after organisation in each local [Armenian] community around the world.
At this point the only representative political authorities are the Armenian political parties, but I think this organizing committee believes otherwise.
Much remains to be done
Still, such an organization remains the principle goal of the Diaspora and Armenia.
The greatest national needs at this time
It is true that there are a few attempts underway at "uniting" the Armenians but somehow we need to streamline all these organizations into one body in order to have some consitency of direction and action. The existing ones need not dissolve and the traditional ones have to fall in line with our greater national needs within this set up, particularly at this very late time. We need to remember that the vast majority of the public especially the new generation are non affiliated with any group.
What are the greatest national needs at this time?
1) Pushing for the recognition of the genocide by all countries.
2) Starting a national endowment fund.
3) Going on record by the RA government and the whole diaspora union, the non-acceptance of the kars treaty.
4) Pursuing the revival and implementation of the sevre treaty (as I believe turkey is a signing participant?)
5) Reviving the implementation of the wilsonian armenia.
6) Establishing close ties with the hamshentsis and all other people of armenian origin in turkey.
7) Establishing close ties with the kurds.
8) Establishing a network of watchdog committees or groups scrutinizing all anti-armenian activity, news and reports in the press, TV or radio and the internet. Of greater importance is the historic and geographic map publications where mention of armenia and/or its presence in history is either completely ignored or distorted. These groups should have immediate access to the press for putting the record straight and presurizing such publications to be revised.
9) Dealing immediately with the political, economic and social conditions in Armenia with a view to stopping the
excessive emmigrations.
10)Strict financial scrutiny must be implemented on all donations, transections etc.
One can go on and I am aware that each point needs to be worked on but I believe the above touches on the gist of the problems. How can the above be implemented?
Much has already been written on the how of things. We should not get rutted into one way of doing things, whichever is the effective and practical that’s the way to go.
The "top" executive by itself should not have power over decisions, every decision should be voted on by the entire group (sub-divisions/ committees etc. etc. and as much of the public as possible should vote on decisions as well. This may be accomplished by a secure internet voting system. Each member may have an id and password and can vote only once from a designated computer.
I also believe that positions should be honorary and limited to only two years.
People have thought this is impossible and so far we have found ourselves in front of an impossiblity. The only thing we need for something like this to succeed is people with a desire to succeed and people who really understand that unless we do something different from what has been done so far, we are in the last hours of everything armenian.
Cheers,
A.
Responding to Reader “A”
Dear Reader,
1. We have excellent historical books and archives, in addition to historians and academicians, but very few "soldiers" on the ground to work with contemporary issues, specially the matter of our re-found and vast army of "lost" Armenians in Western Europe and in Western Armenia. We have but few missionaries who have dedicated their lives to one of today’s most important issues. and these apostles of the Armenian nation are not preoccupied with old- and long-dead treaties which brought more tragedies to our nation, and which made us scapegoats on the big chessboard of 20th century international politics.
2. For us, Middle Eastern Armenians, mentioning President Woodrow Wilson means reminding our neighbouring Arabs the political figure who also created, with Lord Balfour, the Jewish state. We are alive today, specially the Cilician Armenians, because of the hospitality of the Arabs. And let’s not forget that Western Armenian national liberation movements of the ’70s and the ’80s were backed by Palestinians whose leaders were mostly Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic. So in these very sensitive days we must be very careful about what we write so that the Armenians of the Middle East don’t wind up in the same situation as Assyrians of Iraq.
Hamo Moskofian
Mainz, Germany
Western Armenian
3rd National (Armenian) Conference?
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