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An Open Letter To Prince Charles

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  • An Open Letter To Prince Charles

    AN OPEN LETTER TO PRINCE CHARLES

    13:02, 15 Apr 2015
    Siranush Ghazanchyan

    Ara Papian, Head of Modus Vivendi Centre, has addressed an open letter
    to His Royal Highness Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales.

    The full text of the letter is below:

    Your Royal Highness,

    There is unequivocal truth in that the lives of kings and princes
    are full of responsibilities. Paying respect to the memory of the
    subjects of their own country is, without doubt, one of the most
    commendable responsibilities. Hence, Your and Prince Harry's planned
    visit to Istanbul this year on April 24-25 and participation in the
    commemorative ceremony of the Centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign,
    which is dedicated to the memory of the victims of around 35 thousand
    British subjects, is perfectly understandable. However, the issue is
    not as straightforward as it appears to be at first sight.

    The military actions in Gallipoli or Canakkale, as Turks refer to it,
    commenced on 18 March, 1915. Consequently, Turkey has traditionally
    been commemorating it on 18 March. It would be wise to question as
    to why this year Turkey has decided to commemorate it on 24 April? No
    notable event has taken place on April 24 in the Gallipoli Campaign.

    If the change in the calendar for the commemoration by Turks is
    conditioned by the fact that Turkey wishes to give importance to
    the intended landing of the British-French navy on the shores of the
    peninsula (although it is not clear why Turkey would give importance
    to it), then it should be noted that this took place on April 25. The
    change in the calendar by the Turkish authorities (the change of
    Canakkale celebration from 18th to 24th of April ) pursues only one
    aim - to obscure and even ridicule the memory of the victims of the
    Armenian Genocide, which has always been commemorated on 24 April.

    Sir, By making such changes in the calendar, the Turkish authorities
    are using You as a means to their end in a distorted game of
    propaganda.

    By participating in the theatrical performance organised by the Turkish
    authorities on April 24, the day of the commemoration of the victims
    of the Armenian Genocide, you will not only disrespect the memory
    of the British victims of Gallipoli, but you will also forever stain
    the British throne and Bonae Memoriae of your ancestor George V.

    After all, the liberation of the Armenian people from the oppression
    of the Ottoman Empire was one of the principal reasons and officially
    announced objectives of the British Empire, its Monarch and the
    Government, in joining the First World War. At the time, the British
    Empire failed to carry out its mission, and as a result, millions
    of innocent victims paid with their blood. At least now, do not
    desecrate the memory of your soldiers, who fell for the freedom of the
    Armenians, and the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. A
    representative of the British monarchy should not be coerced into
    being a puppet in the political games of a state with such an agenda.

    In fact, recognizing their own culpability in the massacres of the
    Armenians, which was a result of their failure to land onshore during
    the Gallipoli Campaign, the Government of George V, together with
    Russia and France, made a joint statement on 24 April, 1915 and
    promised to bring to justice those responsible for the Armenian
    massacres. Alas, neither Your country, nor Russia or France kept
    their promise. I find it necessary to mention, that the righteous
    offsprings of my homeland did not forget the promises of the great
    powers, and a considerable number of the perpetrators of the Armenian
    Genocide received their deserved punishment.

    Sir, Your Highness and Prince Harry are visiting Istanbul to take part
    in the Anzac Day Commemoration, which has always been remembered on
    April 25. I do believe that it is Your duty to remember the British
    subjects. However, it must be acknowledged that is also Your duty to
    remember the Armenians, who became victims of the policy of the British
    Empire. If the British Empire had not prevented the collapse of the
    Ottoman Empire on various occasions, the Armenians would have not
    been massacred; instead they would happily live in their millennial
    homeland and would not mourn their losses every year on April 24. If
    you are going to take part in the commemorative ceremony in Istanbul
    on the dawn of the 25th of April, then it is your duty to also pay
    tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

    The flight from Yerevan to Istanbul will only require 3 hours and
    40 minutes, given the two-hour time zone difference between the
    two cities.

    http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/04/15/an-open-letter-to-prince-charles/

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