NCWA Continues its Pursuit of Western Armenians’ Interests
By Jirair Tutunjian – Editor keghart.com, May 22, 2013
At its national council meeting in Yerevan, on April 26, the National
Congress of Western Armenians (NCWA) asserted that for the abrogation
of the consequences of the Genocide of Armenians, it is necessary not
only to give political and legal assessment to the crime, but also to
restore historical justice – primarily by restoring the interrupted
millennial presence of the Western Armenians in their homeland.
Acknowledging that in the past decade Turkey has promoted democratic
values and the establishment of national consensus among all its
citizens, the NCWA said it considers inevitable and necessary the
implementation of appropriate steps to address the Armenian issue in
the context of the processes of construction and establishment of
democratic and liberal Turkey.
The organization also called on civil society in Turkey, the carriers
of liberal and democratic values, progressive thinkers, public figures
and organizations, conscientious and responsible citizens to
participate with the NCWA in the restoration of all the rights of
Western Armenians who lost their homeland in 1915 and scattered around
the world, as well as of recognition and compensation of their moral,
material and territorial losses.
Delegates from Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Lebanon, France, and
Canada attended the one-day conference at the Noravank Foundation, one
of the leading think-tanks of Armenia. The gathering was presided over
by its leaders – Souren Seraydarian from France and Garen Mikaelyan and
Gen. Norad Ter-Grigoryants from Russia.
`The meeting was successful because we were able to make progress and
crystalize our words as to where we are going,’ said the NCWA
President Seraydarian. `Through the council meeting, we formed a
consensus that we should work with Turkish individuals and
organizations that have recognized the Genocide of Armenians.’
Seraydarian added that for far too long April 24 has become a day of
death (`Merelots’)… a time of mourning. `While we recognize and honor
our dead, we should move to April 25 and revive Armenian rights. The
Ottoman government made us stateless. This is recognized
internationally as an illegal act. We also lost our individual,
property, collective, cultural heritage. We were naturally influenced
by the countries where we had to settle after the Genocide. Thus we
became Argentinian-, Syrian-, French-Armenians. As a result, we don’t
have the same Armenian culture. We lost our miasnagatsoutune.’ DIKRAN.
WHAT’S THE ENGLISH WORD?
Seraydarian said that the NCWA hadn’t approached the land issue yet,
although it is the organization’s final goal. `Addressing the land
issue is a step-by-step process. The strategy and tactic for the
achievement of that goal should be different. Right now we are
establishing what we want and how we can get there… in other words,
legally what steps are required,’ said the NCWA president.
Once the NCWA has finalized its goals and strategy, it will discuss
that battle plan with other Armenian organization.
`The centenary of the Genocide is not an end in itself. It’s the beginning.’
The council also decided to launch a pilot project in Armenia whereby
members would pay $1 per month as membership contribution. If
successful, the project will expand to our countries.
As an adjunct event to the national council conference, the NCWA
hosted two Turkish journalists – Erdal Dogan and Sait Chetinoglu. Dogan
is also a human rights lawyer, while Chetinoglu is a well-known
Marxist journalist. They said that although in visiting Armenia they
were perhaps taking their lives into their hands, they were proud to
be in Yerevan. Both insisted visiting the Dzidzernagapert Genocide
Memorial and Museum.
Chetinoglu has recently compiled a list of Armenian towns and cities
in Western Armenia which have vanished. He said that he hoped to
translate his research in an English-language book.
Dogan, who has acted as a human rights lawyer for the past 15 years,
has exposed the killing of missionaries in Malatya and has seen the
perpetrators punished by the courts. `The same mentality of 1915
continues in Turkey,’ warned the lawyer. `They same attitude prevails
across the country. It’s not just the Deep State. Even so-called
democratic left-wing is a secret ally of those who maintain the Young
Turk attitude,’ he said. `Kemal Ataturk and his friends merely changed
their masks to create conditions best suited for their infernal work.
You can see that policy in the Dersim Massacres of 1936. Many who were
killed then were Armenian survivors of the Genocide.’
The young lawyer warned press conference attendees that the Deep State
and their allies control the Turkish government, organize denialist
seminars across the country and intimidate anyone who doesn’t agree
with them. `They have the ability to change the state agenda. They
have infiltrated the judiciary, the universities. The Turkish media
and even the British media do not cover their activities. This secret
group of 100,000 people includes senior military officers, judges,
diplomats, journalists…and even non-Turks. Their core ideology is the
denial of 1915,’ said Dogan.
The lawyer also warned Armenians not to trust Turks who describe 1915
as `tragedy’. He said it’s a tip that they deny the Genocide. He said
he believed it’s very important to present the Armenian Question to
the international public and to Turks. `Human rights and justice are
the basis of the Armenian Question,’ said Dogan.
Journalist Chetinoglu said that Kemalist party’s finances were based
on confiscated Armenian properties and businesses. `In 1919 it was
estimated that Armenian property confiscated by Turkey was worth $50
billion…Today’s Kemalists and Islamists are not much different from
the Marxist point of view. Today’s Turkish generations are the
grandchildren of the confiscators.’
The Turkish journalist said that the Turkey is adept at manipulating
antagonists. `On Kurdish issues, Turkey approaches the Kurds as
`Muslim brothers’ while to the world it presents the image of a
democratic and secular governance,’ he said and told the story of an
Armenian (Arshag Baghdassarian) of Urfa, who had turkified his name to
recover property confiscated in 1915. `He died during the court case.
His son continued his father’s attempts to regain the family property.
The day the court ordered the return of the properties, the son was
killed in a hail of bullets.
Addressing the recent liberal mood of Turkey, Chatinoglu cited the
publication of a book about the Genocide. The book was allowed to be
published because the judge said there are so few Armenians in Turkey
that they can’t damage the country.
He said that Armenians should work through the European Union (EU) to
regain what belongs to them. `Turkey is linked to the EU and the UN
since it’s a signatory to judicial agreements. A collective return of
Armenians is possible,’ he said.
Echoing his colleague, Chetinoglu said Turkish plan for a homogenous
nation hasn’t changed. He cited the massacre of Dersim, the war
against the Kurds, the discrimination of Alevis, Armenians, and
Assyrians. `Turkey refuses to recognize the Alevi religion, closes
Alevi mosques, bans the teaching of Kurdish…the mindset of 1915
continues. Threats and 301 continue,’ he said.
When asked whether Armenian should trust the Gulenist movement, which
has thousands of schools around the world, Erdal said the Fatheullah
Gulen, the founder of the Gulenist organization is a disciple of Imam
Said Nursi, a participant in the Genocide. `Over the years, the
Gulenists have remained silent about the Genocide. Their silence
speaks volumes,’ said Erdal and chastised `Today’s Zaman’ (owned by
the Gulenist Foundation) for its frequent promotion of the Khojali
`genocide’ in Azerbaijan. `When it comes to the Genocide of Armenians,
`Today’s Zaman’ is no different from other major Turkish dailies which
deny what actually took place in 1915. Their attitude is this: `We
love you Armenians; don’t talk about the Genocide; certain bad things
happened in 1915. You committed the Khojali genocide,” he said.
The human rights lawyer also criticized Armenia for its lack of effort
re the plight of Syrian Armenians. `We are witnessing the decline of
Christians in the Middle East. The Syrian-Armenian community, the last
of the Cilician-Western Armenian culture, might disappear because of
the Syrian conflict,’ he said.
When Erdal was asked why he continued to live in Turkey when his life
is threatened and he is surrounded by enemies, the journalist said: `I
want to stay on the land. I want to make it a just society, raise my
children and remain steadfast in my beliefs.’
From: A. Papazian
http://www.keghart.com/NCWA_ArmeniansInterests