Edik Gevorgyan, Dean of the Faculty of History at the Kh. Abovyan Pedagogic University, in the conversation with Aravot.am, commenting on the recent statement made by Djamal Pasha’s grandson Hasan Cemal visiting Yerevan that his grandfather was killed by gang members, said that on the eve of Genocide Centennial it is necessary to be careful on organizing such meetings. “As a historian, I am against such meetings, I find that further we go from the 1915 deplorable events, more we should be careful and follow up to Armenian Genocide, Armenian Cause and demanding issues to be able to really achieve them, rather than be satisfied with cheap announcements or applauses,” said the historian.
Edik Gevorgyan noted, “There is a huge historical and scientific material on Armenian Genocide in the Mother homeland and Diaspora, not to mention about the genocide survivors’ memoirs, travel notes and the rest… Ahead to the Genocide Centennial, unfortunately, many people will emerge who would try to be engaged in cheap politics and play cheap democracy. If currently they use the word genocide and the Armenian Great Genocide, it seems to us that all the issues are resolved. Thus, every year we’re similarly expecting how the next president of the United States would formulate it. But this is not the problem, this is not the political solution, and if the today’s invited foreigner makes such an expression that his grandfather was killed by gang members, it is among the series of formulations that once they were doing about our national hero Andranik or were calling his division a gang.
Later on, even during the Batumi conference and in all other places, Turks were raising the question of eliminating these “gangs” because allegedly they cause harm to the peaceful Muslim population. Today, the main question is as follows: if we invite people who really intend to give a true picture, then they should first and foremost answer the question of who is to blame for the genocide, provide a political estimate to the crime organized by Young Turks. Otherwise, it turns out that name or pay a tribute to the opinions of official Turkish historiography, and we, without thinking, welcome them, seems to be a great achievement that the Turk had come here and uses the word genocide.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
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