No One with a Nikol-Style Should Ascend Tsitsernakaberd on April 24: Armen Ashotyann

Armen Ashotyann, Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia, responded remotely to questions from citizens while at the Nubarashen penitentiary. Natalia Yeghyeskasyan asked, "Andranik Kocharyan is already questioning the genocide and the number of victims; what do you say about this topic?" Ashotyann replied, "First, let’s fix two things. The denial of the Armenian Genocide is not just Andranik Kocharyan’s initiative, but also of even Prime Minister Pashinyan. Second, it is not a random or spontaneous act, but rather a policy that has been systematically pursued by Pashinyan since 2018. Throughout his tenure, from the very beginning, Nikol has gradually distanced himself from the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Take and reread his speeches at the UN General Assemblies, the European Parliament, the PACE, and his messages regarding April 24. The only exception was the 44-day war.

He is setting a new benchmark of political immorality on this issue. The process of recognizing and condemning genocide against any people requires the involvement of serious international actors, who naturally must also have their own interests. Initially, this was the Soviet Union, but were the Soviets the custodians of the pain and dignity of the Armenian people, or could they have advanced the issue of the Armenian Genocide in the Armenian diaspora scattered across the globe due to genocide? What connection did the Soviets have with the genocide of Greeks and Assyrians in 1915?

Nikol's scandalous theses are ignorant and immoral. The denial of the Armenian Genocide also has serious international consequences. First, it strikes a blow at the international mechanisms aimed at preventing genocides because the Armenian Genocide was a very important part of that movement. Nikol is also wiping the bloody face of Turkey in its potential EU accession process. The work of dozens of years by international politicians, experts, and intellectuals is also being called into question.

The Holocaust, the genocides in Rwanda and Yugoslavia—all had more powerful and interested 'sponsors' advocating the issue in the international arena. However, after Armenia's independence, the Armenian Genocide became part of the international political agenda and was recognized by dozens of Western countries and institutions.

According to Nikol, did Germany, the USA, France, and Poland recognize the Armenian Genocide on account of Stalin, Brezhnev, or directly Putin? Pashinyan's new treachery has two internal objectives: a. to facilitate the adoption of a new Constitution, and b. to deepen the rift between Armenia and the Diaspora. By the way, both are Turkish demands. After all this, no one with a Nikol-style has the right to ascend Tsitsernakaberd on April 24. Do not desecrate the memory of 1,500,000 Armenian martyrs with your presence.