3798) Roots Of “Nemesis” & Background Of Radical Armenian Nationalist Terrorism

The Roots Of “Nemesis” And The Background Of Radical Armenian Nationalist Terrorism

AVIM
11.05.2023

    Operation Nemesis Terrorism Armenian Revolutionary Committees

On 25 April, Armenia unveiled a monument in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, to glorify the terrorist Nemesis organization. Glorifying terrorists and mongering hatred against Turks, Turkey, and Azerbaijan may serve to solidify Armenian nationalism, however, the lessons of history show that such acts ultimately come to haunt and hurt Armenia itself and Armenians themselves. Rather than focusing on the Nemesis terrorists and their followers up to the present, this article will deal the historical roots of the radical Armenian nationalist terrorism and how it targeted and victimized the Armenians themselves.

Nowadays, the radical Armenian nationalists view and depict the terrorist organizations such as Nemesis, JCAG, and ASALA and as their heroes and the champions of the Armenian people and their cause. It is worthwhile to remember that these terrorists, as well as their Dashnak and Hunchak predecessors in the Ottoman Empire killed countless Armenians.

The Hunchaks and the Dashnaks, the self-proclaimed heroes of the Armenian people, have a long history of exploiting the Armenian population morally and materially in addition to targeting and killing countless Armenians who did not adopt their line. In the following sections, this article will first discuss the murder of rich Armenians as well as the ecclesial leaders of the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere. It will then discuss the targeting of the ordinary people and peasants who fell victim to the cruelty of the Armenian revolutionary committees. Finally, the third section of the discussion will be devoted to those members of the Armenian committees who had the courage to express concern and dissent as to the policies of the committees or who preferred to depart from these committees and were therefore targeted by their own organizations. . . .

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3797) An Armenian Narrative That Cannot Be Trusted

 An Armenian Narrative That Cannot Be Trusted
Author : Yigit ALPOGAN
13.04.2023

    Genocide Allegations First World War Ottoman Empire Armenians

On 4 April 2023, the Armenian Weekly featured an article titled “Ottoman Parliament and Senate in 1918 acknowledged ‘the Armenian Massacres’” that was written by Harut Sassounian.[1] According to him, “‘the Armenian Massacres’ were discussed and acknowledged by the Ottoman Parliament and Senate in 1918.” To demonstrate his point, he presents some carefully selected and manipulated quotations from the parliamentary speeches by various members of the Ottoman parliament, including those that allegedly belonged to the Minister of the Interior Ali Fethi (Okyar). . .

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3796) Free E-Book: “Patriotism Perverted” by K.S. Papazian Reprinted

The Book Titled “Patriotism Perverted” Reprinted

20.03.2023

The book titled "Patriotism Perverted” by K.S. Papazian has been reprinted by the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVIM).

One of the main issues in Turkish-Armenian controversy regarding historical events is the focus on the 1915 Events. Under the guidance of the geopolitical interests of the Soviet Union that sought retaliation against Türkiye that positioned itself in the Western camp, a genocide discourse began to be constructed in an organized way and was used intensively after 1965, which was the 50th anniversary of the 1915 Events. Meanwhile, many books that could challenge the genocide narrative started to disappear under mysterious circumstances from the shelves of bookstores and libraries.

One of these books, Patriotism Perverted, which was published in Boston in 1934 and authored by an Armenian American historian named K.S. Papazian, criticizes the Dashnaktsutyun/Dashnak Party (Armenian Revolutionary Federation/ARF) and its methods. Papazian criticizes the fact that the actions of the ARF, which initially espoused a form of nationalism diluted with socialism, quickly adopted terrorism and fascism in the actions it carried out in Anatolia and the Caucasus. Papazian refers to this situation as "perverted patriotism" and, by building a narrative on the ARF’s program and citing key figures, he gives important information regarding the heights of ARF’s levels of radicalization. He mentions that for the sake of this cause, the ARF administrators even resorted to murdering Armenians from their own community by accusing them of treason.

Papazian thus argues that the ARF needs to come to terms with its history that is full of murders, insurrections, and massacres. We hope to draw attention to the contradictions of the unilaterally constructed victimhood perception concerning the Turkish-Armenian controversy by re-introducing this book by Papazian to the readers.

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3795) Free E-Books (3): Fake Photos & Armenian Propaganda - International Scholars On 1915 Events - Men Are Like That

Fake Photos And The Armenian Propaganda

The “Armenian Question” has been a controversy for more than a century and ever since its emergence, fake documents, statistics, and visual materials have been part of the controversy. This has now become even more prevalent with the advent of the internet and social media platforms. Today, there are thousands of websites and social media accounts that one way or another contribute to the distribution of fake or misused images in support of the Armenian version of the 1915 events.

This booklet, in the form of a short study, gathers and scrutinizes some of the most common fake and misused images in connection with the Armenian allegations. In case of the misused images, the booklet also presents the original image with brief contextual information as to its origins and how it was misused as part of the propaganda for the Armenian allegations.

International Scholars On The Events Of 1915

The booklet prepared by AVİM includes the most common topics on the matter of 1915 events such as reasons behind the relocation decision, Ottoman intentions and efforts to prevent excesses against Armenians, forgeries and unreliable sources in the literature on 1915, and misleading comparisons with the Holocaust. The book contains quotes from the various works of internationally known academicians such as Andrew Mango, Bernard Lewis, Edward J. Erickson, Derk Jan der Linde, Feroz Ahmed, Firuz Karemzadeh, Gilles Veinstein, Guenter Lewy, Gwynne Dyer, Justin McCarthy, Jeremy Salt, Kai Ambos, Michael Gunter, M.E. Yapp, Norman Stone, Norman Itzkowitz, Paul B. Henze, Paul Dumont, Robert Zeidner, Sean McMeekin, Stanford Shaw, Steven Katz, Sydney Nettleton, Thiery Zarcone.


Men Are Like That

"In 1922, Leonard Ramsden Hartill, an American who conducted agricultural reconstruction works in the Caucasus under the framework of the Near East Relief, met an Armenian man named Ohanus Appressian who had witnessed many ordeals in his life as a former soldier, farmer, and refugee. Appressian was among the many refugees Hartill employed during the work he carried out in the Caucasus. Through his agricultural training, hard work, translation skills, and substantial knowledge of the region, Appressian became indispensable for Hartill, and the two men eventually developed a strong bond of friendship.


Appressian would go on to become a main character in this book at hand. Throughout their time together, Appressian bluntly told Hartill the story of the sufferings, ethnic strife, mutual massacres, and the ugly face of the war in his lands between the Christian Armenians and the Muslim Tatars (Turks). Hartill compiled these recollections of Appressian and personally verified most of them, noticing that many other people in the region shared similar harrowing experiences. After Hartill returned to Indianapolis/US, he published his book titled “Men Are Like That” based on Appressian's recollections.". . .

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3794) ASALA Buzzing On The Road To Normalization Between Türkiye And Armenia

by Hazel ÇAGAN ELBIR

After the Second Karabakh War, the statements of Armenia, the Armenian diaspora and the terrorist organization ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), which is still in existence, raise concern. However, a new actor has been added to those who make statements. A representative of the so-called Karabakh administration is making statements in a similar manner to a terrorist organization[1] . . . 

 

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3793) Armenia Is Disturbed By The Radical Activities In The Diaspora

by Hazel ÇAGAN ELBIR


On January 30th, 2023, Nzdeh Garagavoryan, the “new generation” representative of the Youth Office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau of the Dashnaktsutyun Party in France, was declared persona non grata by the Armenian authorities and prevented from entering Armenia . . .

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3784) Michael Hagopian - A Prominent Propagandist In Armenian Documentarism And His Questionable Legacy

by Ahmet Can Öktem

If one wishes to observe the radical nationalist Armenian practice of using art with the aim of political propaganda, the documentaries of Armenian writer, filmmaker, and producer J. Michael Hagopian would be quite informative. Hagopian, who was born in 1913, in Harput, Elazığ, started Atlantis Productions Inc. in 1952, which produced many Armenian films. He also co-founded the Armenian Film Foundation (AFF) in 1979 with the help of several Armenian community leaders.  His 1965 documentary, “Where Are My People?”, is presumed to be the first film to push the Armenian genocide accusations regarding the period of the 1915 Relocation and Resettlement. He was considered to be a precursor in the production of Armenian documentaries, and thus, was seen as an important personality in the Armenian propaganda film industry. . . .

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3779) Strategically Mum: The Silence Of Armenians by Iver Torikian

  Iver Torikian

STRATEGICALLY MUM: THE SILENCE OF ARMENIANS
Iver Torikian (August 2021)


AVIM's Note: In August 2021, AVIM received a letter from Japan that was sent by Iver Torikian, an Armenian whose family once resided in Istanbul. Torikian stated that he wrote the letter because he wanted to inquire the widespread misinformation in Armenian-Turkish relations.

Originating from a scholar of Armenian background, reflecting sincere views in a free environment with an academic objectivity, AVIM has decided to publish the letter in parts over the course of several days. You can read the first part of the letter below.
 
Part One

My name is Iver Torikian. I am American. My mother was born in Germany, and my father, who is Armenian, was born in Turkey. I was born and raised mostly in the US after my parents immigrated there. Now I live in Japan.

I have visited Turkey over a dozen times during my lifetime. In Rumeli Hisari, Istanbul, my grandparents had a house just 200 meters or so from the Bosphorus. The house was on a narrow and incredibly steep cobblestoned street. Cars painstakingly maneuvered around each other, and street peddlers walked by with their wares. I once took a photo of a man who came by with a pole across his shoulders, balancing one bucket on each end of the pole. "Yogurt, yogurt, yogurt!" he shouted.

Every morning my grandfather would wake up early and do calisthenics for an hour before going to his store near the Kapali Çarsi. It's a routine he continued until the end of his life. His hometown was Arapkir. He had come to Istanbul by himself when he was just a boy.
. . .

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3741) Free Ebook: Anastas Mikoyan, Confessions Of An Armenian Bolshevik

Free Ebook: Anastas Mikoyan, Confessions Of An Armenian Bolshevik

Anastas Mikoyan: Confessions of an Armenian Bolshevik chronicles the life of Anastas Mikoyan, a prominent figure who served in particularly important positions during the Armenian insurrection during the final period of the Ottoman State and Soviet-era Russia. In this four-chapter book, author Mehdiyev aims to reveal the contradictory views of Mikoyan regarding the Armenians’ struggle for independence, the Turkish-Russian-Armenian relations, and Armenian politics during the Soviet Union period. During this endeavor, Mehdiyev predominantly cites from both Russian and Armenian resources.

Mikoyan’s mentioning of the idea of establishing a ‘Great Armenia’ that comprised seven Ottoman provinces from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean as a complete fantasy or his consideration of the regions such as Zangezur and Karabakh needing to be inside the borders of Azerbaijan are just two examples with which readers can start to understand Mikoyan’s way of thinking outlined in this book. More than anything else, the success of the book lays in its contribution to the Armenian review literature by revealing very significant evaluations of Mikoyan regarding the Armenian question and his confessions-disclosures, which could turn Armenian historiography upside down. . . .

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3740) Patrick Devedjian: A Neo-Fascist Who Was A Life-Long Supporter Of Terrorism

by Maxime GAUIN

Patrick Devedjian, born in 1944, passed away on 29 March 2020 due to COVID-19. It is not in the habit of AVİM to rejoice of the death of anybody. However, death does not exonerate a person of Devedjian’s disturbing past.

Expressing far rightist ideas as early as high school, Patrick Devedjian was a co-founder of the neo-Fascist organization Occident in 1964. Occident is known, to this day, for its physical clashes with left-wing students and was eventually banned in 1968. Devedjian himself was sentenced in 1965 for illegal possession of a gun and for having stolen a car.[1] In January 1967, he participated in an extremely violent attack on the campus of Rouen University and he was, as a result, sentenced again, together with other members of Occident. Wrongly considered an informant of the police, he was tortured by several of his comrades after the raid and escaped, completely naked, by jumping from the window to the street, where he was arrested.[2] . . .

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3739) Genocide Allegations, Propaganda Movies, And A 90-Million-Dollar Fiasco

Mehmet Oguzhan TULUN
14.07.2020

In 2017, a movie titled The Promise was released. Filmed upon the will of Armenian billionaire businessman Kirk Kerkorian with a 90-million-dollar budget, it portrayed the 1915 Events based upon the genocide allegations. It was directed by award-winning director Terry George and the starring roles were played by the renowned actor Christian Bale and the up-and-coming actor Oscar Isaac, while its end credits song was composed and sung by renowned the rock musician Chris Cornell. The Promise currently stands as the highest budget genocide allegations-themed movie of all time.

An intense promotion campaign was carried out for the movie both before . . .

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3729) Dashnak Fedais: Heroes Or Calamities Of The Armenian People?

Dashnak Fedais: Heroes Or Calamities Of The Armenian People?

The Critical Corner, an online publication of the Armenian News Network/Groong featured a three-part article by Eddie Arnavoudian, an Armenian-American author, who gave a highly romanticized and problematic account of the Dashnaktsutyun’s armed wing, the so-called Fedayeen.[1] Derived from an Arabic word, in the Dashnak literature the term means one who sacrifices himself for the cause of the party and people. According to Arnavoudian, the Dashnak Fedais were “the armed Armenian freedom fighters” and “deserve to be remembered well” since they fought “frequently epic battle … to protect Armenian village communities.” Moreover, they conducted many operations targeting supposedly cruel Kurds, Turkish and Russian officials to avenge the victimization of the innocent Armenian peasants and readily sacrificed themselves for the well-being and “sacred cause” of their people. . . .

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3705) Understanding April 24

24.05.2019

April 24 has become a day of exploitation and provocation repeated every year and it differs from historical facts due to the lobbying activities of some groups in the Armenian diaspora. Such that, April 24 has been highlighted in the context of commemorating the so-called genocide in many places of the world today. In our article titled “24 April 1915: What Happened?[1]” published in 2018, we examine the reasons behind the Relocation and Resettlement Law of the Ottoman Empire. In that article, we mentioned that the activities initiated against the integrity of the country after the Ottoman Empire joined World War I is an important milestone. We also mentioned that the decisions did not apply to all Armenian citizens living in the Ottoman Empire; it sought the arrest of the Armenian citizens who were involved in the committees’ activities.

In contrast with the objective historical narrative approach, the Relocation and Resettlement Law has been reviewed with a retrospective viewpoint which ignores the circumstances that the Ottoman Empire was confronted with during those times. With this understanding, some decisions are being taken regarding the 1915 events in the parliaments of some countries in America and Europe, and April 24 is being moved from its place in history to a different point. The statements made by some country leaders reveal a politicized April 24 narrative. . .

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3704) Forged Letters Attributed To Bahaettin Sakir And Manipulations Of Taner Akçam

 08.05.2019

On 21 April, an article titled “Bahaettin Şakir’in Ermenilerin imhasına dair mektupları” [Bahaettin Şakir’s letters regarding the annihilation of the Armenians] written by Taner Akçam was published in the Agos Newspaper. In the article, Akçam claims that two forged letters published by Aram Andonian and attributed to Bahaettin Şakir are genuine documents and explains it through the similarity between the Bahaettin Şakir’s signatures in the Andonian letters and the real signatures in his writings and letters. In previous AVİM publications, it has been shown how Akçam’s book, which was published with the aim of validating the Andonian documents, makes various falsifications and how he distorts the statements of Şinasi Orel and Süreyya Yuca by taking them out of their contexts. Akçam thereby attempts to portray himself as the legitimate scholar by distorting the arguments of those contradicting his views.[1]

As always Akçam’s claims and explanations are full of misleading statements and serious shortcomings and his arguments reveal serious contradictions. . . .

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3701) 24 APRIL

.
24.04.2019

In Turkey’s deep-rooted history, every month of the year has landmarks with both sorrowful and triumphant events that are commemorated. The month of April is no exception as it bears two very important dates pertaining to recent history with consequences that shape the present. One of them is the victory of the Gallipoli campaign on 25 April 1915 against the then Allied Powers of the First World War. This victory, which has ushered in Mustafa Kemal -the founding father of the Republic- to the world stage, became a beam of hope for the future in the pressing days of the war. The other very important date is 23 April 1920, the inauguration of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, whose 99th anniversary we celebrated yesterday. This is the day the new state of Turks was initiated and as such is commemorated as a day of new beginning with pride and joy. . .

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3700) Commemorative Stamps For Gulbenkian

Commemorative Stamps For Gulbenkian

On March 23rd, two postage stamps dedicated to the theme “150th anniversary of Calouste Gulbenkian” have been put into circulation by the Armenian Post Office. The stamps that were prepared in Gulbenkian’s memory were printed in the Cartor printing-house in France with the partnership of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal and the Portuguese Post Office. The stamps depicted Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian in the background of the artwork in his collection at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. The designers from the Portuguese and Armenian post offices worked together in designing the stamps. After the circulation of the stamps, Central Bank of Armenia announced that they would issue commemorative coins dedicated to Gulbenkian’s memory. Herewith it would be good to look closely at Gulbenkian's life and his relations with the Ottomans. . . .

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3690) Other Side Of The Coin: Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Other Side Of The Coin: Armenian Revolutionary Federation

AVIM 28.03.2019

We previously mentioned that the Eastern Prelacy in the U.S, which is under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (Holy See of the Great House of Cilicia) of the Armenian Apostolic Church, publishes articles about important Armenian figures in history in a weekly publication called Crossroads. We previously evaluated the narrative on the 1915 events told in these publications that was unintentionally revealed to have an inconsistent basis through the life story of Svarsh Missakian, who is one of the leading figures of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF –Dashnaktsutyun/The Dashnak Party).[1] In this context, another life story what was published in the . .

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3688) Rising Islamophobia In Western World And Turkish-Armenian Controversy / New Zealand Attack And Armenian Diaspora’s Trial With Terrorism

Rising Islamophobia In The Western World And The Turkish-Armenian Controversy

New Zealand Attack And The Armenian Diaspora’s Trial With Terrorism

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Rising Islamophobia In The Western World And The Turkish-Armenian Controversy

Mehmet Oguzhan Tulun 15.03.2019

In our various articles,[1] we had written that religion plays an important role in the 1915 Events and the related Turkish-Armenian controversy. A strategy based on four elements is pursued for the presentation of the 1915 Events as genocide. These four elements are as follows: law, politics, history, and religion. In this context, the importance of religion stems from its capacity to appeal directly to people’s emotions.

When the works putting forth the genocide narrative concerning the 1915 Events through religious themes are analyzed, it is possible to observe an emphasis on the following point; Armenians are always the victimized and downtrodden “first Christian nation”, while Turks are always the victimizing and cruel Muslims.[2] In other words, through the publication of such articles, what is being attempted is the creation of the “angelic Christian Armenian” and “demonic Muslim Turk” imagery in people’s minds. Sometimes authors go so far as the allege that Turks not only attempted to exterminate the Armenians, but also other Christian groups such as the Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, and Maronites. With this narrative, in the words of Justin McCarthy, what is being attempted is to portray Turks as “genocidal maniacs.” . . .

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3687) Commemorating Hovhannes Tumanian

Çimnaz I. Demirci
15.03.2019

Hovhannes Tumanian, known as the “Bard Of All Armenians”, is being commemorated this year as the 150. anniversary of his birth. Hovhannes Tumanian has lived between the years 1869-1923 is one of the prominent national poets of Armenian literature. Tumanian, who has added many works to Armenian literature, is a major activist known for his literate character as well as his interest for societal matters and his works made regarding these matters. Tumanian reflects his approaches towards societal matters in his works and has attempted to highlight how the political developments occurring in the region are settings societies against each other and how important peace and reason are for these issues to be overcome. Poet and activist Tumanian underlined that all people living in the same geography have a common life-style, even if they belong to different religious, ethnic, cultural and geographic structures. Tumanian also stated that these traits are an integrative factor amongst the region’s communities. . .

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3686) Attempts At Diasporizing Turkish Armenians I-II-III

Attempts At Diasporizing Turkish Armenians

 Vicken Aykazian, Representative of the Eastern Diocese
of America of the Armenian Apostolic Church

7.05.2019

An article published by AVİM in October[1] discussed the possibility of dividing Armenian people into three categories (Turkey, Armenia, Diaspora) in terms of their thought and behavioral patterns. The article touched upon the Diaspora Armenians undergoing a radical and quite negative change over time regarding their attitude towards Turkey and Turks while Turkish Armenians not allowing such an extremism to propagate amongst themselves. Lastly, with examples, it was explained that there is an attempt to impose the Diaspora Armenian mindset onto Turkish Armenians through various discourses.

It is now possible to provide examples of Armenia joining the attempts to "diasporize" Turkish Armenians.

The new Armenian government, which was established following the "Velvet Revolution" in 2018, has been aiming to form a strategy to more effectively utilize the Armenians living in various parts of the world (meaning Diaspora Armenians) towards Armenia’s benefit. The flawed foreign policy that Armenia insists in pursuing has led to the country being excluded from regional projects and its borders being closed with its two neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Due such missed opportunities, Armenia’s economy has fallen behind Azerbaijan and Georgia, its neighbors in Southern Caucasia. Therefore, investments made in and aids given to Armenia by the Diaspora have vital importance for the country’s economy. . .

Within this context, during a speech in February, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan referred to what Armenia envisions regarding the Armenians around the world:

"[…] We have not yet carried out an inventory of the potential and influence of our Diaspora by countries. As a result, this area is not properly regulated. The government’s plan of actions for the next five years gives a special place to the creation of an all-Armenian network."[2]

In conjunction with this, Pashinyan mentioned the establishment of an integrated organization, structure, or format that would represent the Armenian Diaspora:

"We must be able to develop and formulate a concrete address to record who we should speak to for speaking with the Diaspora. There are many issues in the government’s, political agenda, and when they say these issues must be discussed with the Diaspora – whom exactly? The Diaspora is huge and is very comprehensive. There are thousands of organizations and if it is physically possible to discuss with a part of them, it is impossible to discuss with the other part and everyone.

We therefore have the task to create a representational institution representing the entire Diaspora and we all understand that this will be an extremely big challenge and a serious issue, because you know that the Diaspora is multi-layered, it is very complex, there are multiple relations, contradictions."[3]

From this point of view, Pashinyan explained the reason behind the Armenian government’s intention to shut down the Ministry of Diaspora, which had regulated the country’s relations with the Diaspora until this time, with the following statement:

"Overall, one of the reasons for deciding that Armenia should not have a Diaspora Minister was this, because it was implementing functions that were already being done by other ministries. I am talking about educational, cultural, youth and organizational functions. And instead of this, important functions that must be implemented in terms of relations with the Diaspora, basically were not being implemented."[4]

This new approach by Armenia towards the Diaspora was solidified in April; with a bill approved by the Armenian parliament, the Ministry of Diaspora was shut down and aggregated with the Prime Ministry of Armenia.[5] The High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs , which was established in the Prime Ministry, will pursue policies regarding relations with the Diaspora on the directives of the Prime Minister and, within this framework, will co-ordinate the work of the relevant ministries.[6]

Armenia’s new approach towards the Diaspora was already visible by February. In February, the statements of Armenia’s Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan, who came to Turkey for a meeting organized by World Health Organization in Istanbul, revealed some of the plans the Armenian government has been considering. Torosyan’s visit to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul and his statements during his interview with the Agos newspaper revealed that Armenia perceives itself as the motherland of all Armenians in the world and implied that Armenia, in its own way, includes Turkish Armenians in the Diaspora.

Torosyan gave the following response to the Agos newpaper’s question "In terms of your ministry, what expectations do you have of the Diaspora Armenians?":

"Today we had the opportunity to speak about this subject during the visit to the Surp Pırgiç Hospital [an Armenian foundation hospital in Istanbul]. As a ministry, we are cooperating with Armenian doctors from various places around the world. Firstly, doctors are already visiting us and offering their support in terms of healthcare. I must state that I have left the Surp Pirgic Hospital visit with very positive impressions. In this regard, I think that there are many things that we can do together. […]"[7]

During his visit to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, Torosyan stated that the Armenian Diaspora cannot not survive separately from its motherland (he meant Armenia) and that he attributed great importance to Turkey’s Armenian community. Torosian continued with these statements:

"The Armenian community here is a little bit more disconnected from Armenia. It is very important for us that the way of thinking as if Armenia is weak and needs money gets changed. It needs to develop and enrich those people who will want to develop it. No longer are we poor, no longer are we weak, we need to develop thanks to the Armenians living in and out of Armenia."[8]

The fact that the Minister of Armenia Torosyan answered the questions regarding the Diaspora Armenians in terms of Turkish Armenians on two separate occasions indicates that Armenia, in its own way, lumps Turkish Armenians with the Diaspora. However, as it had been stated in the article prepared by AVİM on this subject:

"[…] Turkish Armenians are one of the core elements of Turkey and they live in the lands where their ancestors lived. Considering the mental and behavioral differences between Turkish and diaspora Armenians, it is both unrealistic and ill-intentioned to attempt to incorporate Turkish Armenians into the Diaspora."[9]

Armenia aims to create a new framework for dialogue with the Armenian Diaspora in order to attract investments and aid into the country. Such a search by itself does not have any faults. However, including Turkish Armenians into such a plan as if they are also members of the Diaspora would not be appropriate. Such an attempt would be akin telling Turkish Armenians that “you are an element of the Diaspora rather than of Turkey”[10] and would imply an attempt to estrange Turkey’s own citizens from their country.


[1] AVİM, “Attempts At Diasporizing Turkish Armenians - I,” Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM), Commentary No: 2019/4, January 16, 2019, https://avim.org.tr/en/Yorum/ATTEMPTS-AT-DIASPORIZING-TURKISH-ARMENIANS-I

[2] “Armenian prime minister presents functions of chief commissioner for Diaspora,” Arka News Agency, February 12, 2019, http://arka.am/en/news/society/armenian_prime_minister_presents_functions_of_chief_commissioner_for_diaspora/

[3] “Armenia wants single institution representing entire global Diaspora,” Armenpress, February 12, 2019, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/963950.html

[4] “Armenia wants single institution representing entire global Diaspora.”

[5] “Armenia parliament liquidates key ministries,” Vestnik Kavkaza, April 18, 2019, http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/Armenia-parliament-liquidates-key-ministries.html

[6] “Armenia wants single institution representing entire global Diaspora.”

[7] Pakrat Estukyan, “‘İstanbul Ermenileri Ermenistan’a yatırım yapmalı’,” Agos, 21 Şubat 2019, http://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/22083/istanbul-ermenileri-ermenistana-yatirim-yapmali

[8] “Healthcare minister becomes first post-revolution Cabinet member to meet Armenian community of Turkey,” Armenpress, February 16, 2019, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/964524.html?fbclid=IwAR3ZfK39ZvHzI2C21HIflQVSpJ-5_ZsykmBQ01bI6ZpmPZKCAPSE06OFMyQ

[9] AVİM, “Attempts At Diasporizing Turkish Armenians – I.”

[10] AVİM, “Attempts At Diasporizing Turkish Armenians – I.

MEHMET OĞUZHAN TULUN

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Armenians had settled and integrated themselves in various parts of the world centuries ago. As such, contrary to general opinion, the community referred to as the “Armenian Diaspora” did not come into existence because the 1915 Armenian Resettlement and Relocation; it had in fact started to form much earlier than this date. As is the case with the rest of humanity, Armenians were influenced by the culture and the historical and political processes in the lands that they lived, and they thus began to be become differentiated from fellow Armenians living in other parts of the world. Taking into consideration Armenians’ thought and behavioral patterns, it is possible to generally categorize Armenians into three groups: 1) Turkish Armenians, 2) Armenia Armenians, and 3) Diaspora Armenians.

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