Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian conducted the following brief interview with Weekly columnist Harut Sassounian last week.
Sassounian is the publisher of the California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the United Armenian Fund, a coalition of five major Armenian-American organizations. For 10 years, he was a non-governmental delegate on human rights at the United Nations, playing a leading role in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the UN in 1985. He has a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Sassounian has been decorated by the president and prime minister of the Republic of Armenia, and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Below is the full text of the interview.
Armenian Weekly—You titled one of your recent columns “Aleppo Burns while We Fiddle: A Wake-up Call to All Armenians.” Talk about the circumstances that prompted you to make that statement.
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Harut Sassounian—I was terribly frustrated and upset that given the magnitude of the tragedy faced by Syrian-Armenians, I was not seeing a commensurate degree of concern and assistance by the Armenian government and Armenians worldwide. And when I learned that the Armenia Fund had decided to allocate just 10 percent of this year’s telethon to Syrian-Armenians, despite personal assurances I was given by the highest officials during my recent trip to Armenia, I decided to go public with my displeasure. While it is true that some efforts are being made by Armenia and the diaspora to assist Syrian-Armenians, I believe that those efforts are too little and too late. Much more must be done immediately and urgently!
A.W.—The Armenian community in Aleppo seems to be at the center of the relief efforts currently under way. Yet, there are several thousand Syrian-Armenians who have sought refuge in Armenia, Lebanon, and elsewhere, and are in dire need of assistance. They are—to state the obvious—no less Syrian-Armenian than the ones who have stayed behind. How can this challenge be overcome?
H.S.—If we raise dozens of millions of dollars, I believe that we can then have sufficient funds to assist all Syrian-Armenians—those in Syria, as well those who have fled to Armenia and elsewhere.
A.W.—The efforts of the diaspora and Armenia are focused, primarily, on humanitarian assistance. What political initiatives can and have been taken?
H.S.—Political initiatives are just as important as humanitarian assistance. I believe our political organizations in the U.S., France, Russia, and elsewhere should pressure all warring sides in Syria, and particularly Turkey, to refrain from causing civilian casualties, including Armenian. I believe such efforts are underway by the ANCA, the Armenian government, and others.
A.W.—An Armenian church was recently desecrated and burned by rebels. The incident was not reported in the U.S. media, and no voices of condemnation were heard from U.S. officials. What role should the U.S. play in this regard?
H.S.—We need to pressure our members of Congress and the Obama Administration to be more vocal in their condemnation of such unacceptable behavior by fighters armed and supported by the U.S. and its allies. They should be even tougher in private conversations with those causing such crimes.
A.W.—Talk about your connections with the Syrian-Armenian community.
H.S.—I was born in Aleppo, Syria. Before these recent troubles, I had an opportunity to visit both Aleppo and Damascus. We have a wonderful Armenian community in that country. Syrian-Armenians have tenaciously preserved their language, religion, and traditions. Many Syrian-Armenians today serve as high-ranking clergymen, teachers, and principals of Armenian schools, editors of newspapers, and community leaders throughout the diaspora. We should do everything possible to support and assist our brothers and sisters in Syria. Tomorrow may be too late!
