Four Armenian wrestlers walked away from the 2024 European Wrestling Championships in Bucharest, Romania donning gold medals around their necks. The weeklong competition had more than 500 athletes representing 38 nations fighting for intercontinental honors. 

Malkhas Amoyan became a four-time European champion for his dominant performance against Turkey’s Yunus Emre Basar with a 7-0 score in the gold medal match. Amoyan’s quarterfinal and semifinal bouts were decided by just one point (3-2 and 2-1 respectively) before he clinched gold in the men’s Greco-Roman 77-kg competition. 

Amoyan, during his return to Armenia, told reporters at Armsport.am that this gold medal victory was difficult for him. “Everyone is preparing against you. They say that becoming a champion is difficult. Keeping the title is even more difficult. It really is. Thanks to the coaches, I was able to wrestle correctly and be recognized as the winner.”

The Yazidi-Armenian wrestler has his sights set on the Olympics, where he could become the second Armenian (after Artur Aleksanyan) to win gold in the European Championships, World Championships and Olympics. “I will do everything to return from Paris with a gold medal. The European Championship was the first tournament of this year. I’m glad I started with a win. This gold medal gave me more confidence to be able to move forward,” Amoyan said. 

As for the Greco-Roman 97-kg division, the legendary Artur Aleksanyan outwrestled Magomed Murtazaliev, representing Individual Neutral Athletes, to win his seventh European championship. The 32-year-old Aleksanyan’s illustrious medal count rose to 23, including his gold and bronze victories at the World Junior Championships.

Aleksanyan told journalists at Zvartnots International Airport that every championship comes with its own price. “Becoming a European champion is always difficult. Every year I feel that everyone is basically preparing against me. In this sense, it gets harder every time, but thank God, I manage to win,” Aleksanyan said. 

The ‘White Bear’ also alluded to his wrestling future. “I don’t know what will happen later. The Olympic Games are ahead, after which it will be clear.”

In men’s freestyle, Arsen Harutyunyan was first to medal after sweeping every opponent he faced with 10-0 scores to become a four-time European Champion in the 57-kg division. Harutyunyan faced Azerbaijan’s Islam Bazarganov and Turkey’s Muhammet Karavuş in the semifinals and finals respectively to win gold, scoring a 10-0 win in the final in just 54 seconds.

Harutyunyan credited not only his success, but the entire Armenian wrestling team’s success, to hard work and teamwork in an Instagram post. “We have been preparing for this European Championship for months and going through a lot of difficulties with our coaches, but we are ready to do more to get the Olympic gold,” Harutyunyan wrote. 

In the 70-kg freestyle competition, Arman Andreasyan had a European championship to remember. The 20-year-old underdog bested France’s Seyfula Itaev 6-5 in the quarterfinals, world champion Ismail Musukaev 8-5 in the semifinals and Akaki Kemertelidze 7-3 in the gold medal match for his first career European championship. 

Andreasyan nearly missed out on competing in the gold medal match. During his semifinal bout, the Armenian wrestler scored four points with less than 10 seconds remaining, going from a 4-5 disadvantage to an 8-5 victory.

“I am very happy that I managed to become the winner of the European Championship. I had silver and bronze medals and the desire was very big to win the gold. I thank God for giving me a chance to achieve my goal,” Andreasyan said in an Instagram post.

Armenia’s newest European champion also took time to dedicate his win to his late cousin, Taron Andreasyan, who died during the 44-day war in Artsakh in 2020.

Other Armenian wrestlers to medal include Manvel Khachatryan in Greco-Roman 55-kg (bronze, Armenia), Mezhlum Mezhlumyan in Greco-Roman 61-kg (bronze, Armenia), Edmond Nazaryan in Greco-Roman 63-kg (bronze, Bulgaria) and Narek Oganian in Greco-Roman 72-kg (bronze, Individual Neutral Athletes).

The focus now shifts to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where Arsen Harutyunyan (men’s freestyle 57-kg), Vazgen Tevanyan (men’s freestyle 65-kg), Slavik Galstyan (men’s Greco-Roman 67-kg), Malkhas Amoyan (men’s Greco-Roman 77-kg) and Artur Aleksanyan (men’s Greco-Roman 97-kg) have already qualified. Olympic wrestling will take place August 5-11.

“My dear Mélinée, my beloved little orphan, 

In a few hours I will no longer be of this world. We are going to be executed today at 3:00. This is happening to me like an accident in my life; I don’t believe it, but I nevertheless know that I will never see you again.

Mélinée Manouchian

What can I write to you? Everything inside me is confused, yet clear at the same time. I joined the army of liberation as a volunteer, and I die within inches of victory and the final goal. I wish for happiness for all those who will survive and taste the sweetness of the freedom and peace of tomorrow. I’m sure that the French people, and all those who fight for freedom, will know how to honor our memory with dignity. At the moment of death, I proclaim that I have no hatred for the German people, or for anyone at all; everyone will receive what he is due, as punishment and as reward. The German people, and all other people, will live in peace and brotherhood after the war, which will not last much longer. Happiness for all…I have one profound regret, and that’s of not having made you happy; I would so much have liked to have a child with you, as you always wished. So I’d absolutely like you to marry after the war, and, for my happiness, to have a child and, to fulfill my last wish, marry someone who will make you happy. All my goods and all my affairs, I leave them to you and to my nephews. After the war you can request your right to a war pension as my wife, for I die as a regular soldier in the French army of liberation.

With the help of friends who’d like to honor me, you should publish my poems and writings that are worth being read. If possible, you should take my memories to my parents in Armenia. I will soon die with 23 of my comrades, with the courage and the serenity of a man with a peaceful conscience; for, personally, I’ve done no one ill, and if I have, it was without hatred. Today is sunny. It’s in looking at the sun and the beauties of nature that I loved so much that I will say farewell to life and to all of you, my beloved wife, and my beloved friends. I forgive all those who did me evil, or who wanted to do so, with the exception of he who betrayed us to redeem his skin, and those who sold us out. I ardently kiss you, as well as your sister and all those who know me, near and far; I hold you all against my heart.

Farewell. Your friend, your comrade, your husband.

Ps: I have 15,000 francs in the valise at the Rue de Plaisance. If you can get it, pay off all my debts and give the rest to Armène.”

This beautiful letter is the last letter written by Missak Manouchian, on February 21, 1944. It was addressed to his beloved wife Mélinée Manouchian. Sadly, shortly after writing these words, the Armenian hero who defied the Nazis was executed by a German firing squad at Fort Mont-Valérien in the western suburbs of Paris.

Missak Manouchian

Exactly 80 years after his death, on , Missak Manouchian is entering the Panthéon mausoleum in Paris, where he will join France’s most revered historical figures. Located in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, in the Quartier Latin, the Panthéon is an architectural marvel and one of Paris’ most prestigious monuments. The edifice was commissioned by King Louis XV of France in 1755 and built as a church dedicated to Saint Geneviève. In 1791, the church was transformed into a mausoleum (Panthéon in Greek means “Every God”) and destined to house the remains of France’s greatest men. Interment in the crypt of the Panthéon is severely restricted and is only reserved for individuals who have played a major role in France’s history. Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Marie Curie, Émile Zola and French Resistance heroes like Jean Moulin are among the French figures who were reinterred in the Panthéon. Known as being “pantheonized,” entering the Panthéon is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on anyone in France, and God knows Missak Manouchian deserves this eternal recognition. Missak Manouchian is not entering the Panthéon alone. This true Armenian hero is entering the Parisian mausoleum with his beloved wife Mélinée, who passed away in 1989 and was buried by his side at the Ivry Cemetery.

The first time I heard the name Missak Manouchian was in 1994, at my school in the west of Paris. Back then, I was already interested in World War II, so when a teacher mentioned that the Manouchian group was the most active French Resistance group, I was captivated and had so many questions. On that day, I discovered the incredible story of Missak Manouchian, an Armenian Genocide survivor who went on to become a French Resistance hero. Born in 1906, Missak arrived in France in 1925 and worked at a Citroën car factory. Despite seeing the true face of evil during the Armenian Genocide, Missak never lost faith in humanity and always believed that a better world was possible. This ideal led him to get involved in politics and join the Communist Party in 1934. When the Nazis occupied France, Missak led a small group of foreign Resistance fighters, who carried out attacks against German forces and risked their lives to liberate the country they loved.

I couldn’t possibly write an article about Missak and Mélinée Manouchian without visiting their home in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. Located at the N°11 Rue de Plaisance, this little building is where they lived from 1941 until November 16, 1943, when Missak and his group were arrested. Standing there, I couldn’t help but think about all the memories that they shared in their home, and how this extraordinary couple sacrificed everything they had, for everything we have. They knew that German forces and their local collaborators on any day could storm into their building and arrest, torture and execute them, but this terrifying thought never discouraged them. It gave them strength. 

In 1934, Missak Manouchian met Mélinée, the love of his life. Born in 1913 in Constantinople, she lost her parents during the Armenian Genocide and ended up in Marseille, where she learned French and studied accounting. During the Nazi occupation of France, Mélinée became a heroic companion to her husband. Whenever the Manouchian group attacked a German target, she observed the movements of each actor and noted the results of the operation. Month after month, Mélinée demonstrated remarkable courage. In June 1941, when Missak was arrested for the first time and sent to a camp in Compiègne, she asked someone to take her to the camp on his bicycle and succeeded in passing some food to her husband. Thanks to her efforts, Missak was released after a few weeks.

Missak and Mélinée Manouchian’s grave at the Ivry Cemetery

I couldn’t honor Missak and Mélinée Manouchian without visiting them (just before their remains were transferred) at the Ivry Cemetery, which is located in the southeastern suburbs of Paris. As I approached their grave, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I spent a long moment with them and thought about the profound love that they had for each other. Mélinée never fulfilled Missak’s “last wish,” which was to marry someone who would make her happy. Missak was the only man she loved, so following his death, Mélinée never remarried, remained a widow all her life and had no children. 

I also thought about the members of the Manouchian group who are buried next to Missak and Mélinée at the Ivry Cemetery. These true heroes are: Celestino Alfonso, Joseph Boczov, Georges Cloarec, Rino Della Negra, Thomas Elek, Maurice Fingercwajg, Spartaco Fontanot, Jonas Geduldig, Emeric Glasz, Léon Goldberg, Szlama Grzywacz, Stanislas Kubacki, Cesare Luccarini, Armenak Arpen Manoukian, Marcel Rajman, Roger Rouxel, Antoine Salvadori, Willy Schapiro, Amedeo Usseglio, Wolf Wajsbrot and Robert Witchitz. Olga Bancic, the only woman of the Manouchian group, was taken to Stuttgart, Germany, and beheaded on May 10, 1944. These heroic Resistance fighters all sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and it is our duty to honor and remember every single one of them.

Today, on , Missak Manouchian is making history by becoming the first foreign Resistance fighter and the first Communist resistance fighter to enter the Panthéon. French President Emmanuel Macron recently paid tribute to Missak Manouchian’s “bravery” and “quiet heroism,” adding that Manouchian “embodies the universal values of France” and “carries a part of our greatness.” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also commented on this historical day by saying: “This is just and long-awaited recognition by the Republic of the role of foreigners who, at the cost of their lives, fought for the liberation of our country and our freedom. They are the face of France.” 

Exactly 80 years ago, at Fort Mont-Valérien, Missak Manouchian and his brave comrades lined up in front of the German firing squad and faced death with honor, dignity and pride. Seconds before being shot, these heroic freedom fighters all shouted “Vive la France!” (Long Live France). 80 years later, a large and grateful crowd gathered along the Rue Soufflot (road leading to the Panthéon) to shout “Vive Missak Manouchian!”

In the Soviet era, Armenia, like other SSRs, had its own coat of arms. The Armenian Coat of Arms had an image of Ararat wreathed in two stalks of wheat with a red star and hammer and sickle above the two peaks. In the 1950s, Turkey complained to the USSR about using ‘its’ mountain on the Armenian SSR Coat of Arms. It was concerned that the USSR might have designs on taking Turkish territory. Per his memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev retorted, “Why do you have a moon depicted on your flag? After all, the moon doesn’t belong to Turkey, not even half the moon. Do you want to take over the whole universe?” I distinctly recall reading, years ago, that Armenian Communist Anastas Mikoyan had a similar exchange with a senior Turkish official, who asked, “Who gave you permission to use our mountain on your Coat of Arms?” Mikoyan supposedly answered, “Who gave you permission to use the moon on yours?” (I say supposedly because I have been unable to verify Mikoyan’s version.)

The Turks have raised the issue of Ararat on official Armenian symbols again this year. They object to the use of Ararat on the current Armenian Coat of Arms and the word ‘enemy’ in the Armenian National Anthem. How they figured out that they themselves are the enemy is beyond me. By chance, as I write this I am wearing an Ara the Rat hoodie with a picture of the two peaks and the words, “Out of bounds, but never out of sight.” This is our circumstance, our vidjag, that the symbol of our nation, the mountain of our hearts and souls, revered in song, poetry and art, lies not in our country but in our enemy’s country.  

Mount Ararat (Photo: Serouj Ourishian, Wikimedia)

Imagine if, because of war and arbitrary borders, Mount Fuji was no longer in Japan. It is unfathomable for any educated person with a basic knowledge of geography and history. Well, with regard to Ararat, the unfathomable is a reality Armenians can see every day. 

At many Armenian cultural events we attend or in articles we read, we see or hear the line, “We are unmovable, like our mountains.” I understand the sentiment and its inspirational intent. But, as it often can be, the truth is much harsher. Our borders can and have been moved; our people can and indeed have been moved from our unmovable mountains.

Who moved the borders? Who eliminated our people from our unmovable mountains? 

This was done in 1915 in Western Armenia and again just a few months ago in Artsakh. Might we call these people, oh, I don’t know, enemies? Turkey has an issue with the word enemy in the third verse of our national anthem. Again, for some reason, they believe it may refer to themselves. Sounds like paranoia to me. They ask for this change while simultaneously supplying their latest drones to surrogate Azerbaijan, who keeps threatening to take what it calls ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ This sure sounds like an enemy to me. I would want more than a tricolor to shine against such an enemy – maybe some seriously high-tech weapons of my own. Perhaps we can call it ‘the iron ladle’ drone.

We would not feel any safer by acquiescing to these requests to change our National Anthem or eliminate Ararat from our Coat of Arms. It rings more of subjugation than negotiations for border delineation and security. Yet, the government of the Republic of Armenia is considering these changes. But negotiations tend to go the way of the 800-pound gorilla in the relationship, and clearly, the Republic of Armenia is not the 800-pound gorilla.

Maybe we can borrow from Prince’s playbook and no longer refer to Ararat or Masis but instead ‘the mountain formerly known as…’ We don’t even have to use the words Ararat or Masis. We could conjure up an abstract symbol, again a la Prince, to replace the names Ararat and Masis. I might recommend, and I am just spit-balling here, the Greek letter beta:  β. They might not get that it is just a stylized graphic of Ararat rotated clockwise 90 degrees.

Per the Khrushchev-Mikoyan story, this is nothing new for Turkey. Here is another example. About a dozen years ago, I organized a concert with a singer born and raised in Istanbul. One of the songs we planned for her to sing was ‘Khnjouki Yerk,’ based on the endearing poem by Armenian poet Sarmen. The first two lines of the poem are:

Seghann eh arad,
Timatsn Ararat…

The abundant table
Set under Ararat…

She had learned a version of the song without a reference to Ararat. Even though she attended an Armenian school, they had to comply with state regulations and censorship in this regard. It would be beyond horrible for schools in the Republic of Armenia to ever have to follow the same rules as Armenian schools in Istanbul.

If this were to happen and, sadly, such concessions have been considered, I would surely be in favor of changing Armenia’s National Anthem. But I would also change the first line from:

Mer hayrenik, azad angakh…
Our fatherland, free, independent…

Back to Mikayel Nalbandian’s first line:

Mer hayrenik, tshvar, ander…
Our fatherland, miserable, barren…