The PR expert predicts the outcome of the events for the centenary of the Armenian Genocide
On April 24 and in the days preceding and following, Armenia appeared in the core center of the world with a coverage of events going on in our country, the government officials and the relevant authorities of the country appeared in the Western and Russian media. What results did we record? And what should be our next steps to raise the image of our country and to reach the recognition of the Armenian Genocide internationally? “Aravot” talked about this with the PR specialist Hayk Kirakosyan.
Our interlocutor thinks that in the meantime, we truly managed and succeeded to be in the core attention of the world’s adept segment and become the subject of coverage by a number of international and influential media, but as in business, as well as here, we need to understand that what we receive in return. “We know that since the years of the genocide, our benefactors, the rich, government and religious officials spend millions for the outcome, for the Armenian Cause to be recognized and for the issue to be resolved legally, but as a result, the Armenian Genocide is recognized by more than two dozen states, about 40 US States, after the centenary, the trends will fall. The enthusiasm will fade away and broken, because the results can be calculated as follows: the Armenian Genocide did not achieve international recognition, the “genocide” was not perceived by the majority of the world, the Turks did not admit and apologize, but fumed at several states or clergymen, raised a threatening finger, organized his celebration and went ahead. There is a phrase, “the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on”. Now, no matter how it sounds painful or rude, the caravan goes on, and we are in the status of barking dogs,” says Mr. Kirakosyan.
He notes that no matter he is happy that the Hollywood celebrities and famous people visited Armenia, the Pope for the first time in the history read the liturgy, but does not forget that it is necessary to continue being concerned about the future of the generation following us, existence of our species. “The billions that were spent during these hundred years on lobbying and pulling this-or-that one on our side, for preparing commercial ads and movies failed to produce any results, Armenia “failed to grow” even a single Komitas with this million, and even before the earthquake and up to now, we who consider ourselves massacred people have many families in Gyumri, including multi-children families, who spent the overnights in the wagons and in the rain. In other words, two things are put on the scales: one that billions are spent on convincing something to some underdeveloped, and on the other scale, there are still traces of the genocide, says the PR specialist, God forbid, in the next one hundred years, the advocates of the Armenian Cause again spend their millions for the recognition of the Genocide on CNNs, BBCs, the media, and the lobby, while the migrations and poverty continues in our country. This is a specific indicator of what we are doing for recognition of the Genocide.
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“The power gives birth to the right,” our elders used to say. If we are not powerful, then we will remain in the role of the dog barking of the passing caravans. God willing, in the next hundred years, all of our benefactors, the rich, local and outer caring people, and clergymen, when saying the “Armenian Cause” understand the strengthening of Armenia. There is no case known in the history of the world that the rights of the weak are protected. In this world, the power is the most effective way to restore the justice.” The PR specialist recalls the Jews, who in the result of the very PR, at the expense of strengthen their own powers, managed to compel Germany to admit the Holocaust.
Hayk Kirakosyan believes that in the meantime, Turkey will elaborate a tactics to come out of the blows, and it will do it by thousands of ways. He thinks that no strategy is elaborated in Armenia to resist this anti-PR. He is sure as he has noted that almost the 60% of the events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide was not controlled by us. “What happened in Armenia and to Armenians regarding the subject of genocide recognition, was controlled by local Armenians approximately by 40 percent, the rest was spontaneous. In other words, Kardashian’s visit to Armenia was an uncontrollable process in any way, and these informational channels were not controllable, this means that we do not have a worked-out plan on how to deal with the celebrities when arriving in Armenia. The only thing that was under control all the time was the “Forget-Me-Not campaign,” says Mr. Kirakosyan, noting that on the other hand, resisting the Turkey’s “anti-PR” is irrelevant because they will spend money on persuading the states that have archives and are the best of all aware of the events of 1915.
We also talked with Mr. Kirakosyan about the interview of Serzh Sargsyan with the famous broadcaster of the Russian First Channel, Vladimir Pozner. The PR specialist noted that organizing the interview was a correct move, and was again intended to raise the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish surely “fumed at”. The specialist mentions that though the questions were decent and the answers reserved, anyway, we cannot say that the President of Armenia made statements that were sharp and influential and could become a subject for serious discussion. “Glory and honor to Pozner for knowing Armenians better than we do ourselves. In his references, his reverence and respect to Armenians is obvious. The most symbolic signal that existed was the Forget-Me-Not badge fixed to his chest. When nothing was said, Pozner’s attitude to the subject of our problem, therefore, to the President of the Republic of Armenia was also evident.”
We invited the attention of the PR specialist to the extract from the interview with Serzh Sargsyan, in which he emphasized that our only demand from the current Turkish authorities is the recognition, and the form of reparation will be determined later in the result of negotiations, through the international documents. “At that moment, I noticed a slight smile in the eyes of our President, even though he was talking about sad subject, and it was apparent that a trick was used not to answer the question directly and evading the question. The point is that our president does not admit that we are demanding recognition not only morally, but also demand financial, economic, territorial and other reparations, and there was no need to be silent here. And once again, like in the football diplomacy, so it is now, we are going to lose this policy adopted by our President. Definitely, this platform was to be used and mentioned that we currently demand recognition and reparation.”
Hripsime HOVHANNISYAN
