AZG Armenian Daily #074, 26/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

MUSEUM OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN WASHINGTON

Planning Works to begin Soon

Ruben Adalian, head of the Armenian National Institute, held a speech
entitled “Contributing to Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by a Third
Side” at the genocide congress. Mr. Adalian gave an interview to Azg in
which he told about the current stage of the establishment of the Genocide
Museum in Washington.

“The most important thing is that Anoush Matevosian, Hrayr Hovnanian and
Gerard Gafeschian, three benevolent-founders of the museum, helped us to
enlarge the area envisaged for the museum. Thus, the programs, concerning
the museum, were enlarged too. We envisage to create a working group by
getting in touch with the heads of the Armenian museums and make the first
steps for the implementation of the project, i.e. choose an architect, begin
planning, etc. The specialists think that the establishment of the museum
will last 5-7 years, at least,” he said.

Mr. Adalian believes that the history of the Armenian Genocide is already
recognized in the United States. The whole matter is to achieve the
political recognition of the Genocide. This process has reached its
culmination. Each year, on April 24, the American Armenians are waiting for
the president of the country to use the term “genocide” at last but it
doesn’t happen and we remain being disappointed.

“Turkey’s position concerning the genocide has already been smashed. Nobody
believes that, even the Turks themselves, but they don’t look for another
way out. The Turks avoid using the term “genocide,” while the Turkish press
has been literally flooded with this word. They can escape from that. Being
a powerful country, they have no courage to recognize the Armenian
Genocide.”

The scholars expressed the opinion at the congress that the establishment of
the Genocide Museum in Washington will greatly contribute to the political
recognition of the issue. Professor Yehuda Bauer from Israel expressed the
idea that such a museum should open in Ankara, as well, bringing the example
of the Holocaust Museum in Germany.

“It goes without saying that the museum will play an essential role in the
recognition of the Genocide, as it will help all the nations living in the
US be thoroughly informed about the massacres of the Armenians,” Ruben
Adalian added.

He also said that very frequently the leading American mass media and press
touch upon the issue of the Armenian Genocide. One could hardly imagine
something like that 10 years ago. They used to avoid using the term
“genocide” to describe the massacres of the Armenians in 1915. Today, this
word prevails in almost all the publications.

By Ruzan Poghosian