The Armenian Diaspora addressed the administration of the Kharkov region offering financial support to the Party of Regions’ pre-election campaign. In exchange for that, the Armenians suggest that the Ukrainian authorities should no less than consider recognizing the genocide of the Armenian people. In any case, the Ukrainian FORUM.GIGA.UA Internet forum asserts that information.
On the FORUM.GIGA.UA forum, journalists of our radio station came across an alleged photocopy of a letter marked “secret”, printed on the letterhead of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and looking rather like an internal document of the special services. The document is not dated, and we can’t confirm its authenticity. However, the letter is addressed to President Viktor Yanukovych and is not registered, that is, there is no incoming number, which is usually written down by the Secretariat. The letter is signed “V. Khoroshkovsky”, and the position of the author is stated as “Golova” (Head). Perhaps, this is the current First Vice Premier of Ukraine Valery Khoroshkovsky. Previously, until this January, he was heading the Ukrainian Security Service. At the top of the document there is a visa “To Azarov N. Y.”, apparently, pointing at the Prime Minister and the first person in the Party of Regions’ list for the upcoming elections.
The document tells about certain representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Kharkov, who addressed the regional administration and personally the head of the region Mikhail Dobkin offering financial support to the Party of Regions at the parliamentary elections. In exchange for this offer, Head of the Armenian Community Mr. Khandemiryan suggested that a bill “on recognition of the genocide of the Armenian people” should be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada. The Voice of Russia asked Head of the Kharkov region Mikhail Dobkin to acknowledge the receipt of the letter, but he refused to comment on the situation.
But the behavior of the Armenian Diaspora is a really interesting nuance of this story, especially their ambiguous proposal. The letter states that Khandemiryan “supports the political course of the Party of Regions”. According to the document, representatives of the Armenian community suggest paying attention “to the experience of European countries” regarding the recognition of the genocide, as well as to regional initiatives of the Izium, Uzhgorod, Cherkassy and Kiev city councils. The representatives of the Diaspora also refer to “the official Yerevan”, stating that in Armenia their initiative was allegedly supported at the highest level.
By the way, the genocide of Armenians is recognized by several European states, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Some countries have more than once passed resolutions condemning the deeds of the Ottoman Empire. As for Ukraine, the fact of the extermination of the Armenian people is officially recognized only by the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. But the copy of the letter to the SBU shows that the Armenian Diaspora by all means seeks to ensure that the events of the beginning of the 20th century are recognized throughout the country.
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It is noteworthy that the solution of the European states was based on the evidence, which took many years to collect and which persuaded the parliamentarians that the massacre at the borders of the Ottoman Empire was systematic and directed against a certain nation. However, the Ukrainian Armenians have, apparently, chosen another way – based not on the evidence, but on finances.
Unfortunately, we have failed to come in touch with the Armenian National Community. But one of the Diaspora’s representatives in Ukraine, Armenian artist Boris Yeghiazarian, believes that it is necessary to recognize the fact of the genocide:
“If states recognize the facts of the genocide that took place, if many states recognize them, then Turkey will have to recognize this fact, too. And this will lead to specific consequences. I mean, first of all, to correcting historical injustice in order not to allow its repetition. A lot of Armenians live in Turkey now. The genocide took place and it was terrible, scary: one and a half million Armenians were killed, who were living on their own land”.
The Armenian community of Ukraine has already appealed to the authorities with the request to officially recognize the fact of the genocide. In May 2011, the Narodna Rada, which unites four and a half thousand organizations, wrote an open letter to the President of Ukraine. If we are to believe the document posted on the Internet, now the Diaspora has decided to take another approach to the problem. Instead of letters it now offers financial support to the party in power, and a peculiar one at that. The thing is that it will be granted through purchasing some real estate from the Avantazh investment-construction company, one of the sponsors of the Party of Regions’ local branch.
But such a step will not bring the members of the Diaspora closer to their goal. Even hypothetically, a regional financing of the party in power cannot outweigh the national interests of the country, the political analyst at the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Vladimir Gorbach believes. According to him, as far as international policy is concerned, relations with Turkey are of a higher priority for Ukraine than relations with Armenia.
“Relations with Turkey are of a higher priority for us in respect of both economy and politics, and even in respect of logistics. Of course, Turkey is more important in respect of economy, than Armenia. Turkey will not recognize the genocide of Armenians in the current Turkish territory. For them, it is one of the priorities of their foreign policy. Among other things, they build their relations with other countries on the basis of this quite symbolic and important issue. There are not too many links between Ukraine and Armenia as regards both economy and relations. For example, let’s take the balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a closer partner of Ukraine, than Armenia. This is connected with oil and gas, and military supplies, too. Moreover, friendship at the level of the peoples should be regarded by itself, while such purely pragmatic, first of all, economic and geo-economic,calculations make the recognition of the genocide of Armenians in Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century an undesirable risk for Ukraine.”
According to the copy of the document posted on the Internet, the official Kiev advises the Kharkov authorities “to refrain from any specific response” to such proposals, and first of all, consult with higher authorities, and only then make final decisions. The Party of Regions’ election campaign is the most expensive one in comparison with all other political forces of the country.
Kiev, Voice of Russia.
