Author: Ani Tigranian

Consulate of the Western Armenian Republic in the Argentine Republic

The Republic of Western Armenia emerged when the millenary Armenian people decided to execute their legal right internationally granted in 1920, which allows them to have a sovereign State over their ancestral territory of more than 5000 years.

The biblical, historical and native Armenian people inhabited their Motherland long before Noah’s Ark ran aground on the top of Mount Ararat.

Over the millennia, our people have shaped their own destiny in their original territory and lived very different moments in time, from being the main characters of the most extensive reign the world has ever known in the Mesopotamia (years of the memorable king Tigran or Dikran “The Great”) to the blue moment in which they were forced to be dominated by the ignominious Ottoman Empire, a sultanate of Turks that came from the steppes of Central Asia.

This barbarism within civilization resulted in the first genocide perpetrated in the 20th century, which was recently remembered and recognised by the current President of the United States of America Joe Biden.

In spite of the fact that there is overwhelming historical evidence perfectly well documented, as well as survivors’ testimonies, this abominable crime is still unpunished and the political heirs of genocide perpetrators stick to their guns, shamelessly denying the past while usurping the lands of the people they killed throughout a proven genocide.

Nonetheless, the brave Armenian Nation did not give up when facing that extremely lethal cowardice and continued fighting for its people rights. This is how in the context of the First World War the dreadful genocide survivors created the Armenian Legion within the Eastern Legion in the Foreign Legion, under the command of the British General Edmund Allenby, defeated Turks, recovered Cilicia and helped in the recovery of Syria and Palestine for the Allies.

Russia was the first country that legally recognised native Western Armenian people and their right to claim independence based on the people’s right to self-determination. After having signed a ceasefire agreement with Turkey on December 18, 1917, in Erzincan, the Russian Army did not leave the Western Armenian territory (well known then as ʽTurkish Armeniaʼ) until Russia recognised the right of native Armenians living in those lands to self-determination by issuing a decree on December 29, 1917, until they achieve their total independence.

Finally, the expected and long-awaited global recognition in international law took place. A state called ʽArmeniaʼ was recognised in 1920, on the basis of the six Armenian villages of the historical Western Armenia and Erzerum (Karin) as its capital city. De facto and de jure recognition was accorded to this State and its Government on January 19 and May 11, 1920, respectively. In this way, Armenia became Subject of Law with Diplomatic Recognition in public international law.

On August 10, 1920, the new State of Armenia was invited to sign the Treaty of Sėvres, also accomplishing Turkey’s recognition of Armenia as a sovereign state.

Both states, Armenia and Turkey, submitted themselves to international arbitration headed by the President of the United States of America in order to define the western borders of Armenia. In other words, both States requested that an international arbitration award be entered for the purpose of having their borders established. This international and legal act finished with the arbitral award that Woodrow Wilson made known on November 22, 1920, by which borders between Armenia and Turkey were finally established, a fact that is currently and indisputably in legal force.

Nevertheless, by the time the international award was made known, historic facts crashed with unusual promptness against Armenian interests, and the State of Armenia could not be properly established. In parallel, an insurrection movement overthrew the Sultan in Turkey and the new leaders took over the territory of the Armenian State with violence, being this fact an illegal act of usurpation in detriment of international law. Almost at the same time, the creation and expansion of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) caused the sovietisation of the eastern territory of the new State of Armenia, whose borders could not be delineated neither with Azerbaijan nor with Georgia, as requested in the Treaty of Sėvres (Art. 92).

These simultaneous facts, the usurpation of the western territory of Armenia and the sovietisation of the eastern territory, refrained Armenia from formalizing its government and take possession of the recognised state.

This is how the Armenian State, which up to now enjoys full and valid international recognition by a score of countries, was forced to plunge into an involuntary absence of 90-year historical representation. Among those countries that recognised the State of Armenia, we can mention Great Britain (England, Ireland and Scotland), France, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zeeland, Union of South Africa, India, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, United States of America, Japan, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Brazil and Argentina.

When the USSR started to disintegrate, the authorities of the former Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, for unknown reasons that history will judge in due course, did not declare themselves as legal successors of the State of Armenia recognised in 1920. On the contrary, they decided to claim their Soviet territory (a part of the ancient Eastern Armenia) and requested the world to be granted sovereignty by recognizing a new State of Armenia.

The request was granted, and quickly, all countries send over their ambassadors to Erevan, the capital city of the new State.

That day, the millenary Armenian people that constitute one of the most ancient nations in the world, were divided into two states: (1) this new Armenian State recognised in 1991, and (2) the State of Armenia recognised in 1920, with clearly established borders in the West and borders pending to be delineated in the East for international law.

Moreover, the new State of Armenia was called ʽRepublic of Armeniaʼ, using the same name of the State that suffered a lack of representation since 1920, albeit with full and current international recognition.

When we native people of the Armenian State (1920), spread out around the world walking through the exile forcefully imposed by Turkey by perpetrating the genocide, had the opportunity to foresee this fact, exercising the right of the native people enshrined in the international law, we simply started to take charge of restoring our State, renamed REPUBLIC OF WESTERN ARMENIA.

The small villages that compose the ancient Western Armenia ‒Artsaj, Najichevan and Djavak‒ are part of the inseparable Republic of Western Armenia, and since 2004, the millenary Armenian people have been slowly but firmly executing the legal rights that are already internationally recognised.

The Declaration of right to self-determination of Armenians who form the native people of the State of Armenia recognised in 1920 (well known today as the ʽRepublic of Western Armeniaʼ) was signed in the city of Shushi (Artsaj), in 2004. The Constitution, the flag and the emblem of that State were created in 2011, and the National Anthem was also adopted. In 2013, the members of the National Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Western Armenia were elected by democratic elections through electronic vote via internet. In 2004, the President Arménag Aprahamian was elected. He issued the Executive Order No. 12 in the same year, in which it is stated that the Republic of Western Armenia is the successor of the State recognised in 1920 in fact and in law. On June 24, 2016, the President ratified the Treaty of Sèvres through a new executive order, in line with the powers conferred in the Constitution.

In the midst of the recent warlike attack mounted by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Artsaj and part of the current Republic of Armenia, we the members of the Republic of Western Armenia are ready in 2021 to face Turkey and Azerbaijan in the diplomatic field, and demand the return of our ancestral lands on which we have current international legal rights. We are doing this by raising awareness among our people about these facts that are usually unknown, conducting a massive citizenship process, and taking all necessary measures to continue our millenary path around the world, contributing our cultural originality for the enjoyment of humanity.