WHY AND HOW TO ORGANIZE THE WORLD ARMENIANS

The convocation of the National Congress of Western Armenians and the foundation of its Authorized Representative Bodies in exile, the National Assembly and National Council of the Western Armenians will, besides its principal objectives, namely the protection of interests and the restoration of the rights of descendents of Genocide victims, submission of their legitimate claims, be also the most important stage on the way towards the organization of World Armenians--the formation of a powerful independent Armenian Factor in international life lost as a result of Medz Yeghern (1915 to 1923) and the occupation of the Armenian Republic, its violent Sovietization, partitioning, deprivation of sovereignty and possibility to struggle for a just solution of the Armenian Question. 

Seven conditional stages on the way towards organization of the World Armenians and formation of a powerful independent Armenian Factor in the international life

Despite the loss, during decades of national statehood, the Armenians by leading a civil and constructing life in the Ottoman and Russian empires, in Persia, and living mainly on Armenian historic territories for thousand years and in world Armenian communities had accumulated in the beginning of the 20th century definite quality and quantity of resources, material and spiritual, and were independent factor sufficient for securing its safe existence and perspective development. It’s not difficult to imagine what future and incredible opportunities could open before the nation, if its collective intelligence and collective will founded the ways of prevention of national disaster during World War I. The thesis that the Armenians were doomed to genocide and nothing depended on strategy and tactics of national liberation movement, on way of thinking and behavior of national leaders is a strained myth. A scientific objective analysis of a political life of the Armenians for the last 150 years will inevitably show that more responsible, safe way of protection of national interests free from romanticism and adventurism existed. The way which was defended by Armenian conservative circles: Loris-Melikov, Gabriel Ayvazyants, Malakiya Ormanyan, Spandar Spandaryan etc.

Loris-Melikov told the Armenians of Constantinople during his visit to the city in 1859.

Even after Medz Yeghern, the Armenians had the chance for a national rebirth by preserving the Republic of Armenia, with its capital of Karin, and its connecting parts of Western Armenia (within the framework of Erzerum, Van, Bitlis and Trapizon regions, de jure assigned to Armenia by Sevres Peace Treaty on August 10, 1920). This chance was conditioned by the capability of the Armenians to combine their remaining forces to stop Bolshevik-Kemalist aggression.

Armenians had possibilities and certain opportunities, but lacked the ability to concentrate on the available nationwide potential. The formation of a necessary all-Armenian representative body responsible for tactics and strategy for the resolution of the Armenian Question also failed.

Numerous committees, such as National Council of Russian-Armenians (September to October 1917), the National Council of Turkish-Armenians, and the Government of Western Armenia (Security Council) in December 1917 were acting separately. Attempts to form a unified government proclaimed in 1919 as Free Independent Unified Armenia (consisting of representatives of the East and West Armenians) also failed. The Unified government was to be headed not only by the East (Russian) Armenians, but also West (Turkish) Armenians, such as Boghos Nubar, Gabriel Noratunkyan and others experienced in public administration. Having an international authority, this could have favoured the combination of the potential of World Armenians: for the organization of repatriation, the return of deportees, the settlement of liberated territories, the creation of a strong army capable of defending and preserving a unified state, and for acting in the international field with a single position. Armenians failed to do this. That is the main reason for further defeats and the loss of independence and freedom of the Republic of Armenia. Of course, there were objective difficulties but there were always chances to overcome them. The objective of the formation of a powerful independent Armenian Factor in the international field exists nowadays. Now global conditions are better for Armenians than they were at the beginning of the last century. And Armenians have improved in strength. This century may be favorable to Armenians, if they draw lesson from mistakes, defeats and losses, and work for a necessary national unity.

First stage on the interrupted path of the formation of the Armenian Factor after the catastrophe of Western Armenia (հայաթափում) and defeat, partitioning and loss of the independent Republic of Armenia was the treatment of wounds after the deportations, the restoration and strengthening of forces of the Armenian Diaspora, conservation and development of Armenian life (culture, education, economics) in Soviet Armenia in spite of a criminal, totalitarian and anti-national regime destroying national, spiritual life, the restoration of national independence in 1991, victory over Azerbaijan in a war (1992-94) launched by Baku, the liberation of Armenian Artsakh and its de facto unification with the Republic of Armenia in 1994.

The second stage on our path shall be the creation of the appropriate mechanisms which will provide a full-fledged participation of the Armenian Diaspora (mainly descedents of the Western Armenians, former citizens of the Ottoman Empire) in the restoration and perspective development of Armenian statehood. The best such mechanism is the convocation in the near future, in Paris, of the National Council of Western Armenians for the foundation of the Authorized Representative Bodies-National Council and National Council of the Western Armenians.

A website of the Organizing Committee will follow the course of events, constituting seven stages conditionally indicated by us in years to come to support the formation of a powerful independent Armenian Factor in the international field, allowing our nation to decide its own fate.