“Who is disgracing Armenia, I or those comments makers? If they think that participation of the former Minister of Culture of Ukraine on the Day of Genocide has disgraced the Armenian people, let them not wrap this absurd opinion and ignorant comment around the neck of the readers, and do not make Armenians living in Ukraine to be at stake,” so responded the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Ukraine Andranik Manukyan to the question of Aravot.am to comment on the interview with the painter living in Ukraine Boris Yeghiazaryan entitled “Andranik Manukyan disgraces us in Ukraine” published in 1in.am website.
Every year, on April 24, Ukraine’s Armenian community is organizing a mourning gathering and this year, the mourning ceremony organized in the yard of our newly to be built church was attended by the former Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Mikhail Kulinyak, who delivered a speech and condemned the Armenian Genocide. This is why Boris Yeghiazaryan has brought charges against the Ambassador of Armenia for his pro-Russian views, saying that he had also invited the Minister of Culture under Yanukovich ruling, thus he recognizes the Yanukovich government. And this is the case when this Minister of Culture has quit his office during the Yanukovych government.
Andranik Manukyan explained, “This is a day when nobody is invited. People are coming voluntarily. It’s absurd. Only a sick person’s imagination could make such an explanation. What does it mean, “I recognize the Yanukovych government”? Whether Ukrainian government is legitimate or illegitimate, it’s another problem, but there is no Yanukovich government. ” Andranik Manukyan noted that the Armenian living in Ukraine are already living tense moments, and the Ambassador of Armenia barely managed to alleviate the situation, and such publications do not solve any other issue but aggravating the situation, and anti-Armenian propaganda. With regard to having pro-Russian views, the Ambassador stated, “I am the Ambassador of Armenia. I have pro-Armenian views. I first and foremost defend the interests of Armenia and locally I defend the interests of the Armenian community in Ukraine. I’m doing everything to avoid distortion of relations between Armenia and the Armenian community. 600 thousand Armenians live here, ask the remaining 599 thousand 999 people what they think about the work of the Embassy and the Ambassador. Nevertheless, such mass media are finding someone and taking this one’s words as a ground, are discrediting, which is unacceptable. Wherever I had been in the world, I had tried to raise the honor and credit of Armenians, and I had tried to properly introduce the Armenian people.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
Photo from http.//www.armtimes.com/
