The 6th Pan-Armenian Summer Games first time revealed the activeness of the Armenian structures operating in Western Armenia
Today, at the “Noyan Tapan” agency, Chairman of “Taron-Mush” Union, Hayk Hayrettin Arslan, Deputy Chairman Gevorg Chalesh and the representative of the Western Armenian state agencies Simon Taronian spoke about their identity and the return to the culture.
Presenting the history of the foundation of their Union, Gevorg Chalesh said, “Last year, a friend told me that we should establish an Armenian Agency in Mush. I applied to Hayk. It’s hard to do something like this in Mush as it is a very religious place. But Hayk took the risk. And since there is no Christian Armenian here, and all of them were Islamized Armenians, what we did first by the suggestion of Hayk was teaching Armenian to the local youth. We admitted students. It is very hard but rejoicing that they accept they are Armenians. A Kurdish man told me that there are 40 thousand Armenians in Mush and the surrounding towns and 90% of them are Armenians from the mother’s side. This is the situation there. We quickly enrolled the “Taron-Mush” football team for the Pan-Armenian Games and arrived in here.”
To the question of whether the local authorities contribute to the preservation of Armenians or create obstacles, Hayk Hayrettin Arslan, who, by the way, does not yet speak Armenian, said, “There is any type of risk. For example, of suppressing and killing. This risk exists for 100 years. Armenians of Western Armenia are always in distress and we have grown up in this distress. But in the last one year since our establishment, everyone knows that we are Armenians”.
Simon Taronian added, “In the national fight of the Western Armenia, until 10 years ago, we did not have any connections with outside and inside, and Soviet Armenians. They were saying that there are no Armenians outside, all of them have disappeared. The Istanbul Armenians say that only they are Armenians. It is wrong, a wrong information. There are many Armenians in Western Armenia, but they are hidden Armenians. And this is the case for a long time. The internal information and propaganda was wrong. The subjects of the Apostolic Church do not accept that Islamized and Catholic Armenians are also Armenians. We give the priority to the origin and ethnicity. Importantly that the person feels himself Armenian and considers himself to be an Armenian. We need to know who we are, we need to learn our true history and run our national policy. Religion is secondary. Armenians in Western Armenia is in danger. The Christian world does not help us, nor does Armenia, Artsakh, Catholicos Garegin II, and the Diaspora. Christian Armenian does not consider the Islamized Armenian and Armenian, the political party says, he who is not a partisan is not an Armenian …. Thus split, where are we headed to …? What is important is that the man should feel himself Armenian. Let them get acquainted and communicate with each other.”
Back to participation in the Pan-Armenian Games, Gevorg Chalesh noted that they were engaged in enrollment of the football team only three months prior to the beginning of the Games. In his words, along with the ongoing activities for consolidation of Armenians around the idea of Western Armenia, they will be engaged in preparation work for the next Pan-Armenian Games to be able to participate with a bigger number of participants and prepared better.
The speakers also noted that several patriotic unions are operating in Turkey, with which it is necessary to strengthen relations and contacts. And Mother Armenia should treat them more seriously and in practice.
Ashot HAKOBYAN
Efferim, Abbrek, Xosh