“I REMEMBER AND DEMAND”

Tuesday, 21 April 2015 09:37

April 24 marks exactly 100 years since the greatest crime in human
history – the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire,
which became a truly national catastrophe. On this day, Armenians
around the world will mourn the 1.5 million of innocent victims of
the tragedy, the pain of which is forever preserved in the genetic
memory of our people.

Although it is assumed that the Genocide was committed in 1915, when
the government of the Young Turks began with unprecedented cruelty the
mass killings of Armenians, its time scope is much broader. In fact,
the Genocide was carried out for nearly half a century, from 1876 till
1923, as a result of which our people lost much of their historic
homeland. Today, outside the areal of the millennial residence of
the Armenian people there are over 5 million of descendants of those
who escaped from the massacre and formed the Diaspora. It covers
a hundred of countries in the world and serves as a visible and
convincing proof of the Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire.

The Armenian Genocide was the first crime in the new history of
mankind, which was developed and implemented at the state level to
annihilate an entire people. Despite the fact that a century has
passed since April 1915, the issue of responsibility of the Turkish
state for this grave crime, which does not and cannot have a statute
of limitations, is not resolved so far. Similarly, it is not and
cannot be forgiven, especially that Turkey has not repented yet.

Moreover, falsifying openly the history, it continues its aggressive
policy of Genocide denial and obstruction of its international
recognition. And this is while modern Turkey, in order to distance
itself from the crimes of the Ottoman Empire, declared its rejection of
succession. But, judging by the cynical behavior of the current Turkish
authorities, who are taking any actions to distort the historical
truth, the noted rejection serves only to evade the responsibility
for the Genocide.

It is also important to note that Azerbaijan has joined the campaign
of Genocide denial, confirming thus its complicity in this crime
and its equal responsibility for it, because it annihilated the
Armenian population in the Transcaucasia, in particular in Artsakh,
in 1918 and 1920. The abovementioned proves that the extermination
and deportation of the Armenian population of Western and Eastern
Armenia in the early twentieth century, which was continued at the
end of the same century in Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, are
an integral part of the policy of Pan-Turkism, the ideologists of
which occupy high offices in Ankara and Baku. Turkey and Azerbaijan,
which were formed including in the territories of native residence
of the Armenian people, still pursue the same goals, continuing a
coordinated hostile policy towards Armenia and Artsakh.

In Turkey and especially in Azerbaijan, the short history of which
is rolled in the blood of Armenians, continue at the highest level
brazenly calling the Genocide “false.” Both genocidal states should
recall the history to know that after the overthrow of the Young Turks,
all their elite, which was accused of the extermination of the Armenian
population of Western Armenia, was sentenced to death in 1919-1921 by
the Ottoman extraordinary military tribunals. It should recall the
history also familiar with the confession of Ataturk, which he made
in an interview published in the newspaper “Los Angeles Examiner” on
August 1, 1926: “These remnants of the Young Turks Party must answer
for millions of our Christian nationals who were brutally deported from
their homes and murdered”. Will the squeaky deniers of the Armenian
Genocide in Azerbaijan and Turkey have courage to accuse Ataturk of
lying? The question is, surely, rhetorical, even if only because they
know the truth for sure, but they do everything for its concealment.

However, the truth cannot be hidden. In due time, prominent
German writer of the twentieth century Erich Maria Remarque said,
“Conscience usually hurts those who are not to blame”. The process
of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is gaining a
wider scope. This is confirmed by the corresponding statements of
different countries and international organizations, in particular,
the recent resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Euronest
and the European Parliament, definitely qualifying the crime of the
Ottoman Empire as Genocide. A special place in this series is occupied
by the recent statement of Pope Francis, who called on April 12 the
events of 1915 the first Genocide of the twentieth century, which
caused a great resonance in the world. We’ll not be mistaken if we
say that a powerful impetus to the process was given by the adoption
in January of this year the All-Armenian Declaration on the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which marked a new milestone
in the struggle for the triumph of historical justice. And while in
the previous years our people mainly requested the recognition and
condemnation of the Genocide, now it rightfully demands not only the
recognition, but also the restoration of the lost.

It is no coincidence that this struggle is held under the motto “I
remember and demand”. The Declaration, in fact, has become a state
concept aimed at achieving the worldwide recognition of the Armenian
Genocide, as well as the elimination of its consequences. To this
end, a package of legal requirements is being elaborated, which,
as noted in the document, is considered as the beginning of the
process of restoring the individual, community and nationwide rights
and legitimate interests. This should be done also in the name of
millions of our compatriots – both direct victims of the Genocide
and their descendants.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper