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ROMANIAN ACTIVIST URGES TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
18:29, 24 April, 2015
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. The Former Counselor of the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Former Head of the Romanian Cultural
Institute Vienna, journalist and communication expert Carmen Bendovski
has issued an open letter to the President of Romania Klaus Johannis
on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As reports
"Armenpress", the letter runs as follows:
"In my entire life, it so happened that I had schoolmates and many
dear friends from the Armenian community in my homeland Romania. I
came to know their lifestyle, too little unfortunately about their
culture and almost nothing about the Armenian Genocide.
Until 5 years ago when I read THE BOOK OF WHISPERS, the saga of the
Armenian Genocide, a literary masterpiece and in my opinion the best
novel of Romanian contemporary literature. THE BOOK OF WHISPERS is
also quite an unique performance as - in not even 5 years after first
Romanian edition - it has already been translated into 20 languages
and published in 17.
What impressed me most in this novel about the Armenian Genocide are
those most terrifying, horrible, heartbreaking, unconceivable stories
of deportation, starvation, rapes of girls and boys, executions and
deaths of millions of Armenians, described in an amazing, somehow
soft and very poetic style, as if the author intended to protect me,
the reader, from a too great suffering...
There is no shouting out loud, no yelling, no desperate crying over the
Genocide, just circling waves whispering in an ocean of unbelievable
life and death stories.
It was then, after reading the BOOK OF WHISPERS and doing some
research on the Armenian Genocide that I realized that if victims and
descendants mostly whisper their story, it is us, the others, the NON
ARMENIANS who have to raise the voice and spread the word to the world.
I initiated a petition on the renowned international civic platform
AVAAZ which --by the way - means "voice" in several European, Middle
Eastern and Asian languages and I am grateful to a couple of thousands
NON Armenians and Armenians who already signed this petition. It is
addressed to governments worldwide and the UN General Assembly urging
it to declare the 24th of April Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Among all the other international days, of missing crew members, of
the radio, of migrating birds or jazz -- to give only a few examples
that make you wonder! there must be some not already taken place to
commemorate the first genocide in history! 2015 is a symbolic moment
and about high time!
But the reason why I asked for a few minutes of this precious time
we all are sharing is mainly another than telling you the story of
a humble private initiative:
Here and now I demand that the Parliament of Romania adopts the
resolution for the official and full recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. Despite any economic or political considerations concerning
third parties denying it! I think I am quite realistic when I wonder
what other consequences that recognition would have for Romania,
other than an ambassador recalled to headquarters for consultations
and a couple of statements and articles expressing disappointment
and anger in some countries' mainstream media!
But above all, here and now I ask Klaus Johannis, the president
of Romania, he himself a declared member of an ethnic minority
and a different religious cult than the majority in Romania, to
take immediate steps for consultations with all political parties
represented in the Parliament and urge them to adopt the resolution
in favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Mr. President Klaus Johannis, you have to do that for the Armenian
community in Romania and for all those Romanians having signed the
petition for this recognition. You were not living in Bucharest by
that time, Mr. President Klaus Johannis, but I can tell you this very
true story:
In December 1989, in the midst of the Romanian anti - communist
revolution, when people were shot to death by the troops of the
Army and of the feared Securitate, the Romanian secret police, radio
Free Europe send a message urging priests to hold the doors of their
churches open and to ring the church bells as a sign of change and
hope and solidarity with people fighting on streets.
And I, here and now, Mr. Klaus Johannis, President of Romania, Sir,
I tell you that the only church ringing the bells in a big areal in
the city center, was the Armenian Church. And guess what? In the tower,
by the bells, the Armenians have not hesitated letting their youngsters
do that. I can still see them and I can still hear the bells.
DO YOU?..."
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/803227/romanian-activist-urges-to-recognize-armenian-genocide.html
18:29, 24 April, 2015
YEREVAN, APRIL 24, ARMENPRESS. The Former Counselor of the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Former Head of the Romanian Cultural
Institute Vienna, journalist and communication expert Carmen Bendovski
has issued an open letter to the President of Romania Klaus Johannis
on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As reports
"Armenpress", the letter runs as follows:
"In my entire life, it so happened that I had schoolmates and many
dear friends from the Armenian community in my homeland Romania. I
came to know their lifestyle, too little unfortunately about their
culture and almost nothing about the Armenian Genocide.
Until 5 years ago when I read THE BOOK OF WHISPERS, the saga of the
Armenian Genocide, a literary masterpiece and in my opinion the best
novel of Romanian contemporary literature. THE BOOK OF WHISPERS is
also quite an unique performance as - in not even 5 years after first
Romanian edition - it has already been translated into 20 languages
and published in 17.
What impressed me most in this novel about the Armenian Genocide are
those most terrifying, horrible, heartbreaking, unconceivable stories
of deportation, starvation, rapes of girls and boys, executions and
deaths of millions of Armenians, described in an amazing, somehow
soft and very poetic style, as if the author intended to protect me,
the reader, from a too great suffering...
There is no shouting out loud, no yelling, no desperate crying over the
Genocide, just circling waves whispering in an ocean of unbelievable
life and death stories.
It was then, after reading the BOOK OF WHISPERS and doing some
research on the Armenian Genocide that I realized that if victims and
descendants mostly whisper their story, it is us, the others, the NON
ARMENIANS who have to raise the voice and spread the word to the world.
I initiated a petition on the renowned international civic platform
AVAAZ which --by the way - means "voice" in several European, Middle
Eastern and Asian languages and I am grateful to a couple of thousands
NON Armenians and Armenians who already signed this petition. It is
addressed to governments worldwide and the UN General Assembly urging
it to declare the 24th of April Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Among all the other international days, of missing crew members, of
the radio, of migrating birds or jazz -- to give only a few examples
that make you wonder! there must be some not already taken place to
commemorate the first genocide in history! 2015 is a symbolic moment
and about high time!
But the reason why I asked for a few minutes of this precious time
we all are sharing is mainly another than telling you the story of
a humble private initiative:
Here and now I demand that the Parliament of Romania adopts the
resolution for the official and full recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. Despite any economic or political considerations concerning
third parties denying it! I think I am quite realistic when I wonder
what other consequences that recognition would have for Romania,
other than an ambassador recalled to headquarters for consultations
and a couple of statements and articles expressing disappointment
and anger in some countries' mainstream media!
But above all, here and now I ask Klaus Johannis, the president
of Romania, he himself a declared member of an ethnic minority
and a different religious cult than the majority in Romania, to
take immediate steps for consultations with all political parties
represented in the Parliament and urge them to adopt the resolution
in favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Mr. President Klaus Johannis, you have to do that for the Armenian
community in Romania and for all those Romanians having signed the
petition for this recognition. You were not living in Bucharest by
that time, Mr. President Klaus Johannis, but I can tell you this very
true story:
In December 1989, in the midst of the Romanian anti - communist
revolution, when people were shot to death by the troops of the
Army and of the feared Securitate, the Romanian secret police, radio
Free Europe send a message urging priests to hold the doors of their
churches open and to ring the church bells as a sign of change and
hope and solidarity with people fighting on streets.
And I, here and now, Mr. Klaus Johannis, President of Romania, Sir,
I tell you that the only church ringing the bells in a big areal in
the city center, was the Armenian Church. And guess what? In the tower,
by the bells, the Armenians have not hesitated letting their youngsters
do that. I can still see them and I can still hear the bells.
DO YOU?..."
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/803227/romanian-activist-urges-to-recognize-armenian-genocide.html