GENERATIONS WON’T FORGIVE US
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 16, 2008
Armenia
If We Don’t Learn A Lesson From March 1
Interview with the director of the Genocide Museum Hayk Demoyan
"March 1 was, mildly speaking, a regrettable event for every Armenian,
a psychological, moral blow, the consequence of which is simply
irretrievable.
It is impossible to imagine that we could have ever afforded similar
act towards ourselves, our statehood.
I don’t want to take the role of a judge and to say who is right,
who is wrong. But the thing that happened is really a matter of
serious concern.
Our people have faced genocide and today we have the opportunity
to build our statehood, it is impossible to imagine that the
representatives of a nation that has faced genocide can struggle
against one another.
So we must learn a lesson from March 1 and draw right
conclusions. Should we not give right assessment to what happened,
we will leave a very bad heritage for the coming generation.
Before doing something, we must give a question to ourselves: "Do we
treat properly those who were martyred or who survived dreaming of
an independent Armenia?"
The thing that happened on March 1 in the center of the capital city
was an unforgivable "luxury" and meanwhile a contemptuous attitude
towards the victims of the Genocide and those who survived. To have
statehood is a great grace for the nation that has faced genocide,
it is a chance that we mustn’t lose. The generations won’t forgive
us. Consequently we must record once and for all that violence must
be excluded from the agenda of our political culture.
Using force will ruin us. It will give ground to suspicion abroad:
"Why do Armenian’s insist on the recognition of the Genocide, if they
themselves solve their issues by force.’
"Will the traditional Diaspora, lobbyist organizations, which still
make efforts towards the international recognition of the Genocide face
difficulties in this issue. Especially because the "lobby belonging
to Armenian Pan National Movement" acts against their own state,
the ruling power and the church, moreover they hold demonstrations,
in the United States and the European capitals with the slogan "Robert,
Serge, Talyat?"
"Definitely! Thus our direct enemies will be pleasantly surprised,
we give them good reasons to say: "How can the Armenians speak about
the Genocide when they kill one another for political reasons?"
As regards the demonstrations hold in the foreign countries, those
citizens of Armenia who live overseas, or those who are citizens of
other countries but consider themselves Armenians, must understand
that each of us must be helpful to this statehood, rather than
teaching something."