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GENOCIDE FITS IN THE HISTORY OF EUROPE
Anahit Yesayan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
27 Nov 08
Armenia
The pre-election announcement made by the US President-elect Barrack
Obama linked with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide holds
out hope for many people. And the standpoints regarding this issue
extremely contradict.
"Anyhow what practical developments should we expect in this context?
Very difficult to predict. Director of the Museum- Institute of
Genocide Hayk Demoyan for example is not guided by predictions."
"I will never make presumptions regarding the April 24 announcement of
any President. Not because I'm the director of the Museum-Institute
of Genocide. I don't want to pin my hopes upon "will he say or will
he not". Our compatriots are eager to hear a word regarding the
recognition of the Genocide. And it has got a positive side. As for
me I have always observed that issue in the humanitarian context."
"What do you mean by saying humanitarian context?"
"You see, the history of the USA and the history of the Armenian
Genocide closely fit in. The people of the United States and the US
government, you can say for the first time in the history of mankind,
showed unprecedented humanitarian assistance to the Armenians. During
those years 118 million dollars was an astronomical sum, which the
US government allocated to the Armeni ans, on the state level.
I will not exaggerate anything if I say that we owe to the American
orphanages for the establishment of our statehood, because those
orphanages saved the Armenian "crumbs". In this regard it would have
been helpful to refresh the memory of the same American people by
reminding them of 1919, when the Congress passed a resolution according
to which the former "Armenian Assistance Committee" was renamed as
"The US Near-East Contribution" and fed thousands Armenian orphans
up to end of the 20th century."
"That is to say the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide
shouldn't be based on influencing the emotions of the American society.
We must look for more effective methods."
The Director of the Museum-Institute of Genocide separated several
similar projects, which the museum will soon initiate: "Next year we
are going to mark two important events, which will be a signal for the
US President-elect and the people. 90 years back the US government
passed the before mentioned resolution which greatly helped the
Armenian orphans and the wet-nurse stations helped the refugees.
Besides that it was in the USA, in February 1919 that the first
feature movie about the Armenian Genocide was shown in hotel "Plaza"
in New York, the heroine Avrora Martigaryan was just saved from the
clutches of the Turks. She became the pres enter of what she had
seen and suffered. The film was entitled "The Auction of Souls -
Lacerated Armenia."
In fact by the presentation of this movie in 1919 the series
of the movies about the Genocide commenced. The Director of the
Museum-Institute of Genocide has got certain projects linked with
the first feature movie about the Genocide and he is planning to
mark this important event together with the 90th anniversary of the
"US Contribution".
Hayk Demoyan strongly believes: "These are elements that I hope
can influence the US government, at least for the sake of a respect
towards their history. In my view in this respect the issue is not
political. What we are trying to do is to re-form our approaches. It
is more perceptible and accessible for society when the issue is
represented from the humanitarian point of view."
Hayk Demoyan, in essence, underscored new ways for the recognition of
the Genocide. "What was the role of the French, American, Italian
and the Near-East peoples in their assistance to the Armenian
chroniclers? Thus we must observe the issue in the context of the
history and memory of different peoples. The topic of the Genocide
totally fits in the history of Europe.
At the moment we are implementing a scientific work in the topic of
the history of Armenian orphanages in the countries of Eastern and
Western Europe - emphasizing:=2 0"Dear Europe the Armenian Genocide
has become part of the Pan-European history."
Anahit Yesayan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
27 Nov 08
Armenia
The pre-election announcement made by the US President-elect Barrack
Obama linked with the recognition of the Armenian Genocide holds
out hope for many people. And the standpoints regarding this issue
extremely contradict.
"Anyhow what practical developments should we expect in this context?
Very difficult to predict. Director of the Museum- Institute of
Genocide Hayk Demoyan for example is not guided by predictions."
"I will never make presumptions regarding the April 24 announcement of
any President. Not because I'm the director of the Museum-Institute
of Genocide. I don't want to pin my hopes upon "will he say or will
he not". Our compatriots are eager to hear a word regarding the
recognition of the Genocide. And it has got a positive side. As for
me I have always observed that issue in the humanitarian context."
"What do you mean by saying humanitarian context?"
"You see, the history of the USA and the history of the Armenian
Genocide closely fit in. The people of the United States and the US
government, you can say for the first time in the history of mankind,
showed unprecedented humanitarian assistance to the Armenians. During
those years 118 million dollars was an astronomical sum, which the
US government allocated to the Armeni ans, on the state level.
I will not exaggerate anything if I say that we owe to the American
orphanages for the establishment of our statehood, because those
orphanages saved the Armenian "crumbs". In this regard it would have
been helpful to refresh the memory of the same American people by
reminding them of 1919, when the Congress passed a resolution according
to which the former "Armenian Assistance Committee" was renamed as
"The US Near-East Contribution" and fed thousands Armenian orphans
up to end of the 20th century."
"That is to say the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide
shouldn't be based on influencing the emotions of the American society.
We must look for more effective methods."
The Director of the Museum-Institute of Genocide separated several
similar projects, which the museum will soon initiate: "Next year we
are going to mark two important events, which will be a signal for the
US President-elect and the people. 90 years back the US government
passed the before mentioned resolution which greatly helped the
Armenian orphans and the wet-nurse stations helped the refugees.
Besides that it was in the USA, in February 1919 that the first
feature movie about the Armenian Genocide was shown in hotel "Plaza"
in New York, the heroine Avrora Martigaryan was just saved from the
clutches of the Turks. She became the pres enter of what she had
seen and suffered. The film was entitled "The Auction of Souls -
Lacerated Armenia."
In fact by the presentation of this movie in 1919 the series
of the movies about the Genocide commenced. The Director of the
Museum-Institute of Genocide has got certain projects linked with
the first feature movie about the Genocide and he is planning to
mark this important event together with the 90th anniversary of the
"US Contribution".
Hayk Demoyan strongly believes: "These are elements that I hope
can influence the US government, at least for the sake of a respect
towards their history. In my view in this respect the issue is not
political. What we are trying to do is to re-form our approaches. It
is more perceptible and accessible for society when the issue is
represented from the humanitarian point of view."
Hayk Demoyan, in essence, underscored new ways for the recognition of
the Genocide. "What was the role of the French, American, Italian
and the Near-East peoples in their assistance to the Armenian
chroniclers? Thus we must observe the issue in the context of the
history and memory of different peoples. The topic of the Genocide
totally fits in the history of Europe.
At the moment we are implementing a scientific work in the topic of
the history of Armenian orphanages in the countries of Eastern and
Western Europe - emphasizing:=2 0"Dear Europe the Armenian Genocide
has become part of the Pan-European history."