A few days ago, Armen Rustamyan, a deputy from the “Armenia” faction in the National Assembly, asked Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan: “Is the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the Foreign Ministry’s agenda or not?”
In response, the Foreign Minister noted: “As you can assume from the fact that I did not specifically address it when listing priorities, it is not our number one priority. And, studying the tragic episodes of history, the Armenian Genocide, or making it the number one priority, is certainly not on the agenda of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Mirzoyan’s words simply caused a shock in public circles, although, to everyone’s surprise, no wave of protests or statements were heard on the streets or in the Parliament. Only a few criticisms were heard, and it was recalled that Ararat Mirzoyan was a spy under the nickname “Omega”. It was also reminded that international recognition of the Genocide is a requirement of the Declaration of Independence, and therefore of the Constitution.
The Rustamyan’s faction announced that it was postponing the adoption of the NA statement on the “inviolability” of the Declaration of Independence for 2 months. Gegham Manukyan, a deputy from the “Armenia” faction, justified this by saying that the ruling party would allegedly not vote in favor of the statement.
But in general, it is noticeable that under the guise of “demarcation” of the border with Azerbaijan, an attempt is being made to “demarcate” the border with Turkey, formed in 1921. To this day, that border is not internationally recognized, since the 1921 Russian-Turkish Treaty of Kars is not considered an international document and is not included in the UN depository.
Genocide expert Suren Manukyan emphasizes that the Genocide is not just a historical event; it is a political crime and requires a political assessment and legal consequences. And in this regard, it is no coincidence that Turkey is trying to take the issue to the realm of historians, insisting that it should not be mixed with politics.
In fact, the Armenian government’s rejection of the Genocide issue is a deliberate move: official Yerevan is trying to convince Turkey that it has no claims to the Armenian lands that were depopulated as a result of the Genocide and illegally passed to Turkey under the Russian-Turkish treaty.
Mirzoyan also added: “My duty is to ensure that the citizens of the Republic of Armenia live safely in the 29,743 square kilometers of sovereign and secure territory of the Republic of Armenia.”
The Armenian government’s denial of rights to Armenian lands is a political brand. Even when others say that Armenia’s jurisdiction extends to much larger territories, the government insists on the 29.7 square kilometers area like a mantra.
Moreover, as has been noted several times, the Armenian authorities even “urge” others not to raise the issue of Armenia’s rights, saying that this could lead to destabilization or jeopardize the emerging “peace.”
The “political and legal” consequences of the Genocide imply a review of the legality of the borders of 1915-23, which is not in the interest of Turkey and Russia. These two countries are doing everything with their tools to ensure that the legality of the Treaty of Kars is not questioned. And they are succeeding in this. For example, in a letter addressed to Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia, US presidential candidate Donald Trump recalled the Armenian exodus from Artsakh and the rights of the Artsakh people, but “forgot” about the Genocide.
The other candidate, Kamala Harris, noted in her letter on the independence of Armenia that it is also necessary to always remember the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide, which continues to shape the identity of the Armenian people.
Biden recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2021, but this did not bring political and legal consequences, including due to the lack of claims by Armenia.
“In December, Armenia will host the Global Forum on Genocide, which has a rather ambitious program. For us, the issue of genocide prevention remains one of the important issues. It was a question of whether to prioritize it or not,” Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan said today.
In turn, Pyotr Akopov, a commentator for the Russian state-run Sputnik agency, “confesses” in his today’s analysis that “the Turkish national project began only a hundred years ago, after the emergence of the Republic of Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. Modern Turkey was created with the most active support of the USSR: the Bolsheviks helped Ataturk, supporting his construction of the Turkish state, which the Europeans wanted to divide into three parts (leaving the Turks only part of Anatolia, without the straits and eastern regions). In other words, Moscow actually helped the Turks preserve at least part of their state, not out of love for them, but because of its reluctance to have states subordinate to the West in its south.”
Nothing has changed now. In order to prevent Russia from developing along the western path of Armenia and Georgia, it agrees to give the entire South Caucasus to Turkey. And the Armenian political class supports this in every way.
Naira Hayrumyan