With This Post, I Close My 'Speeches' Page: Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Former President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan writes:

With this post, I close my 'speeches' page, which I have recently maintained in the capacity of a descendant of a priestly family. On this occasion, I present to the readers, with some abridgments, an article in Russian from the Arminfo Center website titled 'The Great Ones about Armenia and the Armenians', unfortunately without an Armenian translation. The publication, although carelessly constructed, nonetheless possesses certain utility.

Great Ones about Armenia and Armenians

For many thousands of years of existence, Armenia has often been called and is still called 'the cradle of civilization', and the Armenians are remembered by the world for their courage, wisdom, heroic deeds, literature, culture, architecture, and many other virtues.

We publish some quotes and statements from great rulers and military leaders, writers and poets, actors and directors, clergymen, and friends of the Armenian people, who have expressed their interest, respect, and love for Armenia and the Armenian people.

Gaius Julius Caesar, great Roman general and ruler of the Roman Empire, 1st century BC said: 'When the Armenians grasp each other by the hands and shoulder to shoulder tread the earth to the sound of their drums and apricot instruments, sooner will the columns of my palace turn to dust than they can be stopped.'

Herodotus, recognized as the father of ancient history, wrote in the 5th century BC about Armenia: '...The border of Cilicia and Armenia is formed by a navigable river named the Euphrates. In Armenia, there are 15 stopping places with taverns and a guard fortification along 56 parasangs. From this Armenia, the road leads to Matiena; here are 34 stopping places at a distance of 136 parasangs ... They transport down the river mainly clay vessels with Phoenician wine ... Upon arriving in Babylon, merchants sell their goods, and then at public auctions they dispose of the woven skeleton of the ship.'

Marcus Junianus Justin, a Roman historian of the 3rd century, asserted that: 'It would be unforgivable to remain silent about such a state, whose borders, after Parthia, were more extensive than all kingdoms. For Armenia extended from Cappadocia to the Caspian Sea ...'

Procopius of Caesarea, a 6th-century historiographer, wrote: '... until 474 AD, Roman emperors, when selecting their bodyguards, preferred Armenians, considering the merits of people.' Armenians are the only nation that bequeath their soul to God, their heart to Family, and their body to the Homeland! Armenians are that nation for whom love and creation are the meaning of life. Armenians are that nation which, according to legends, rose against the first tyrant of humanity, Nimrod, and put an end to his tyranny! Armenians are that nation for whom war is a time for unity, while peace is for creation!

Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia, in his decree of 1711, stated: 'To embrace and alleviate the Armenians as much as possible, in what is decent, in order to encourage their greater arrival.'

Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, issued a decree in 1768, which stated: 'To keep the entire honorable Armenian nation in Our Imperial mercy and favor.'

Mao Dun, a Chinese writer and public figure, born July 4, 1896: 'We are amazed by the glory of Armenia's ancient culture. There are very few such ancient manuscripts in China.'

Anatole France, French writer and literary critic stated: 'We must acknowledge that this nation is intelligent and brave, striving to grasp lofty ideas of the civilized world, having earned the right to the sympathy of nations with both its genius and its unparalleled misfortunes... A nation that does not wish to die will never die!'

Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, scientist, and great friend of the Armenian people, noted: 'The history of the Armenian people is a continuous experiment. An experiment on survival.'

Franz Werfel, Austrian writer, poet, and playwright, author of the book about the Armenian Genocide '40 Days of Musa Dagh': 'Armenia is the cradle of civilization, one of the advanced and developed countries of the ancient world.'

Baron August von Haxthausen, Prussian official, remarked: 'Armenians are among the most beautiful nations on the planet.'

Armin Wegner, German writer and human rights advocate, photographer, and researcher of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and Western Armenia: 'I still have in my mind the exodus of an entire nation expelled from their land. Armenians are an undefeated people by defeat.'

Elisabeth Bauer, Austrian historian and Armenian scholar noted: 'Although little is known about Armenia, Europe is greatly indebted to it from the standpoint of cultural heritage. At the dawn of history, Armenia was one of the cradles of civilization... In the first millennium BC, the economy, art, and traditions of Armenia were so developed that its culture stimulated Egypt, Greece, and Rome materially and spiritually.'

William Gladstone, English statesman and writer, stated: 'To serve Armenia means to serve civilization.'

George Byron, the great English poet, was delighted with Armenia and the Armenians: 'There is no other land on earth so saturated with wonders as the land of the Armenians.' 'Whatever their fate may be, and it is mournful, whatever awaits them in the future – their country has always remained one of the most interesting on the entire globe; and even their language, perhaps, requires only more study to gain increasing allure... If Scripture is correctly interpreted, Paradise was located precisely in Armenia, which paid as dearly as the descendants of Adam; there the water began to recede after the flood, and the dove flew out. But with the almost complete disappearance of Paradise, the misfortunes of the country began, for although it was for a long time a powerful kingdom – it was rarely independent; Persian satraps and Turkish pashas equally contributed to the devastation of that land, where God created man in His own image and likeness.'

Venice, December 5, 1816.

Frederic Chopin, Polish composer, remarked: 'Armenians are one of the oldest nations of Christian civilization, and among the most peaceful, enterprising, and judicious peoples in the world.'

Valery Bryusov, the great Russian poet and public figure, stated: 'Armenia represents one of the centers of the spiritual life of all humanity. It deserves attention to the same extent as the history of the most remarkable nations that made their independent contribution to human culture.'

Nikolai Marr, distinguished archaeologist and researcher of the Near East, stated: 'Establishing themselves in the centers of European enlightenment, in their ancient and modern cultural environment, Armenians did not hesitate to create their own cultural centers in the Near East, thereby contributing to the expansion of international cultural ties and facilitating the arrival of civilization here. And whatever the initial goals and tasks were in establishing these centers of civilization, our attention in such matters is primarily attracted by the creative spirit of the Armenian people, its initiative and enterprise for the benefit of international cultural development. Thanks to Armenian translations, pearls of Christian literature, which had been lost, were saved. Being in the very center of the junction of world interethnic relations, both of the modern living world and the now dead cultural nations of antiquity, Armenians were the first, even in the Middle Ages, to realize the full significance of universal human interests and to comprehend the idea of world history.'

Louis Aragon, French poet, remarked: 'The light of Armenia reaches us thanks to Martiros Saryan. A joyful light illuminating people, mountains, fruit... This treasure found anew. Its color is so beautiful that alongside our Cézanne and Matisse, centuries must provide Saryan a primary place... The bright names of poets adorn our age. In England – it is Kipling, in France – Apollinaire and Éluard, in Germany – Rilke, in Spain – García Lorca, in Russia – Mayakovsky and Yesenin, in Armenia – Charents and Isakyan. Each time one of these stars fades away, it seems as though darkness covers the world...'

Rockwell Kent, American artist, remarked: 'Armenia is a land of wonders... If asked where on our planet one can find more wonders, I would name, first of all, Armenia. ... It is involuntary to be struck that in such a small corner of the world one can find such monuments and such people who can become the adornment and pride of the whole world. Three times be glorified the Armenian land, the cradle of talents, the cradle of great achievements.'

Abbot de Villefranc: 'Armenia was the most glorious Academy of Asia for over a thousand years. There were centuries (roughly from the 9th to 13th), during which Armenia could teach most of the peoples on earth a lesson, and it is evident that during all those times, there were in it people distinguished in every kind of knowledge: in theology, the life of saints, poetry, philosophy, liturgy, history. They were highly skilled translators and well-versed in languages: Greek, Syrian, Arabic, Persian, Latin.'

Dmitry Likhachev, Soviet and Russian philologist and cultural scholar, stated: 'Armenians are an extraordinarily vigorous and active nation in a variety of spheres of the spiritual domain, in the fields of science, literature, and art.'

Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet film director and screenwriter, noted: 'Armenia is a biblical land. In its depths, life bubbles. That is why the soil is so warm, and the water is so warm. In the depths of Armenia, I feel life.'

Heinrich Hübschmann, German Armenian scholar, said: 'It is evident that a nation with such an ancient history, unbending national pride, and unwavering faith, deserves the most serious and interested attitude from the civilized world.'

David Lang, historian, professor of Caucasian studies, commented: 'The contribution of Armenians to civilization is incomparably great compared to their number.'

Henry Lynch, Irish geographer, Armenian scholar, and political figure, remarked: 'Nowhere in the world, it seems, has nature, in its role as architect, created on a more magnificent scale, nor have the results of its creativity had a more profound impact on the destinies of great nations. To understand Asia, one must closely familiarize oneself with Armenia. In all professions, trades, and public service, Armenians have no rivals, and the substantial field of activity lies entirely in their hands.'

Sir Richard Branson, British entrepreneur, noted: 'An amazing spectacle appears before our eyes. We fly over the snow-covered mountains of Armenia – the place where Noah's Ark stopped during the Great Flood. Amid the noise and chaos of headsets, we hear the voice of the Armenian dispatcher: 'Welcome, accept our congratulations on behalf of the entire Armenian people.' In the voice was such sincere friendliness! Would that all countries were so hospitable.'

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland, stated: 'Today I visited the memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and consider it the most important part of my visit. No one in the world can deny that genocide occurred. This is a fact. Political Poland is with you. Whether our parliament recognizes the fact of genocide or not, is beyond my authority. I advise my Turkish colleagues to acknowledge the truth. Today we must resolve the issues of the past.'

Kim Bakshi, Russian writer and screenwriter, expressed: 'I have been studying Armenia for fifty years – this is not just words. Now I have written eight books and filmed a twenty-episode film – all about Armenia. When for 50 years one constantly has the opportunity to return there and mentally lives with the Armenian people, one cannot remain indifferent. I do not feel Armenian, but I feel like one who sincerely loves this nation. And a person who loves another nation saves the honor of their own people and country.'

Russul Gamzatov, Soviet and Russian poet, publicist, and political figure, said: 'Armenians are a people that can preserve through the ages and transmit sacred respect for the handwritten, and sometimes blood-written book... This is a huge indicator of culture and a strong testimony of great love for their roots.'

Yuri Veselovsky, Russian poet, translator, and critic remarked: 'Armenians are not called 'the Europeans of Asia' without reason. They quickly and easily assimilate cultural views and aspirations, in the face of the most talented and responsive of their representatives, they know how to remain Armenians and be cultured Europeans at the same time.'

Vera Zvyagintseva, poetess, translator, and Honored Figure of Culture of Armenia, stated: 'Armenia is a country with a tragic history and unspeakable sorrows in the past, a country of inexhaustible love for life and difficult exploits.'