THE ARMENIAN REPUBLIC AND DIASPORA SHOULD SHARE ONE SINGLE POSITION
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.12.2008 GMT+04:00

The first step is already made: Minister of Diaspora Affairs Hranush
Hakobian apologized to the Armenian-repatriates who in 1946-1948 were
exiled to Altai and Siberia.

There exist only two countries most of whose population live
outside their historical homeland. These countries are Israel and
Armenia. 2/3 of Armenians and Jews live outside their fatherland, and
this fact plays a pernicious role in the countries’ development. What
the Armenian and Jewish Diasporas have in common is that they both
appeared as a result of persecution. The only difference is that if
the Jews were exiled from their habitat for 2000 years on end, the
Armenian Diaspora was formed comparatively recently – at the beginning
of the 20th century. The Armenians’ expatriation from Western Armenia
reached its peak in 1915 when the Young Turks massacred and deported
almost 2 million Armenians. Thus, it was exactly the Armenian Genocide
that caused Armenians to disperse all over the world, a fact we have
been repeatedly writing and speaking about.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ When in the territory of Western Armenia the Soviet
Socialist Republic of Armenia (Armenian SSR) was established, Armenians
began to return to their so-called conditional homeland. About 40.000
Armenians from different countries had managed to come to Soviet
Armenia by 1936. A post-war Soviet myth said the matter concerned
Â"repatriation of forcedly displaced ArmeniansÂ". Under Stalin rule the
subject of Armenian Genocide was prohibited, and those who mentioned
it were instantly declared Â"enemies of the peopleÂ" and were,
at best, exiled to Siberia or to Altai. In fact, Armenian Diaspora
existed in lots of countries and part of it sincerely believed in
the new, fair structure of the post-war world. Moreover, part of the
Diaspora was subjected to communist ideas, especially in relatively
poor countries like Syria, Lebanon, Greece, and Bulgaria. However,
people migrated from other countries too, such as Romania, France,
Yugoslavia, as well as Iran, Iraq, and the USA…

It is not a secret that it was especially the communists that got many
Armenians living abroad to return to their home country. It was not
repatriation, however, since inside the borders of Armenian SSR never
was Armenia the fatherland of her ancestors – emigrants from Western
Armenia. The motivation for returning was the desire Â"to build the
Soviet StateÂ". Firstly a separate district committee was formed for
the new comers, many of whom joined the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union (CPSU). By the way the new special district committee was to be
found in the Zeytun District of Yerevan, and the site is still called
"Raykom" (meaning "district committee" in Russian).

About 100.000 people returned till 1948. In 1948 Stalin "advised"
Malenkov to think if there were no American saboteurs among the
repatriates… On the next day Malenkov informed Stalin about a bomb
planted by Armenian repatriates on the motor ship Â"PobedaÂ" in the
port of Batumi. Under this pretence repatriation of Armenians was
completely ceased, and it resumed only after Stalin’s death. Since 1953
in a few years another 30.000 people came back to their motherland.

The tradition of Armenians’ returning to Transcaucasia was maintained
for rather long in Soviet times too. For the whole Soviet period there
were three main flows of repatriation: in 1921-1936 (42 thousand),
in 1946 (the biggest flow – 90-100 thousand), and in 1962-1982 (32
thousand). The first post-war flow of immigrants came mostly from
Lebanon and Syria, as well as from Iran and Greece-Cyprus. Of the
whole flow of repatriates about 2/3 came from the above-mentioned
countries. Rather considerable (several thousands from each country)
was also the immigration from France, Egypt, Bulgaria, and Romania. The
last flow (3/4) consisted of immigrants from Iran. The total number
of Armenian repatriates of the Soviet period is estimated at about
180 thousand.

However, repatriates found it rather difficult to settle down in
Soviet Armenia, and it was especially them or their children that
looked forward to leaving the USSR. At the first opportunity, in 1956,
initiated and increased the flow of Armenian emigration predominantly
to the West – to France, USA, Australia, and Canada. The total number
of Armenian emigrants in 1956-1989 is estimated to be 77 thousand. The
overwhelming majority – about 80% – left for the USA.

For a long time the problems of Diaspora were not discussed in new
and independent Armenia. The reasons for such silence are not quite
clear, if we take into consideration the fact that Armenia managed
to survive only with the help of its Diaspora. Diaspora renders
assistance also to Nagorno Karabakh. All this is common knowledge but
for some reason it is remembered only occasionally. However, things
seem to be moving recently. We already have a Ministry of Diaspora
Affairs that is to bring together the position of all Armenians in
the world, which is rather hard in itself. The first step is already
made: Minister of Diaspora Affairs Hranush Hakobian apologized to
the Armenian-repatriates who in 1946-1948 were exiled to Altai and
to Siberia.

In the words of RA Prime-Minister Tigran Sargsyan, "Together with her
Diaspora Armenia is quite a different country, and we can’t but take
this into consideration in the 21st century. The world is changing
rather speedily, and the country’s authorities can’t afford another
mistake in the issue of repatriation. We must do our best to avoid
another apology to the Armenian Diaspora."

It is rather unlikely that all Armenians should live in one country;
it is neither realistic, nor is it necessary. Without a strong Diaspora
it would be impossible to solve such Armenian problems as recognition
of the Genocide or lobbying of laws, which enable Armenia to develop
in a regional blockade. However, it should be observed that the voice
of Armenian lobby can sound much louder and much more effective,
if it expresses the viewpoint of the whole Armenian State, like it
was in the case with Israel. Otherwise what we have now is RA and
Diaspora acting by themselves, which in the present state of affairs
is quite unacceptable.

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