LEVON TER-PETROSYAN CRITICIZES PAN-ARMENIAN DECLARATION
February 11, 2015 09:33
Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Yerevan /Mediamax/. First President of Armenia, Leader of Armenian
National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan has rebuked the
Pan-Armenian Declaration.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s article on “Reflections on the Promulgation
of the “Pan-Armenian Declaration on the Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide” was published in “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” newspaper today.
The ANC leader noted that no matter how representative the committee
coordinating Armenian Genocide Centennial events is it cannot reflect
the united will of the Armenian people.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, no body or structure can speak on behalf
of all Armenians”, writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He stated that only the
Pan-Armenian referendum can express the united will of the Armenians,
however, “the referendum is impossible due to overt reasons”.
The first President said that the Declaration would have ponderous
significance and would have a value of a strong legal and political
document had it been promulgated with the signatures of the Armenian
and NKR Presidents, Catholicos of All Armenians, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia as well as the leaders of the Armenian Catholic
Church and Armenian Evangelical Church.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan rebuked Point 3 of the Declaration, where the
Committee thanks the countries and organizations that have recognized
the Armenian Genocide.
“It’s but a rustic statement putting Armenian people in a degrading
situation”, writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
“The recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide does not
require courage from any state or international organization inasmuch
as it’s their commitment fixed by international conventions and being
thanked for doing it should be even insulting to them”, writes the
ANC leader.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan notes that the Declaration contains “the entire
repertoire of the current perception of the Armenian Question –
recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey,
compensation for moral and material harm to the descendants of
Armenians who used to live in Western Armenia and in other places in
the Ottoman Empire, recovery of possession of individual and community
properties, mass resettlement of Armenians in the houses of their
ancestors, and finally, enlargement of the Armenian territory in
conformity with the borders drawn by the Treaty of Sevres and U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson”.
“If since 1998 the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was placed
in the basis of the Armenian foreign policy which resulted in being
obliged to set up a committee of Armenian and Turkish historians,
then the Pan-Armenian Declaration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
places the issue of claims in the core of the Armenian foreign policy.
Only God knows what this sharp turn will result in. At this moment
it’s simply clear that it will greatly complicate and for quite a
long time freeze the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations,
which is a highly important process for the future of Armenia”,
writes Levon Ter-Petrosyan.