A statue of Armen Garo (Garegin Pastermadjian) – who served as Armenia’s first diplomat in Washington, DC from 1919-1920, and was a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – was unveiled on the grounds of Armenia’s Embassy in Washington, DC at a program organized by the Armenian Embassy in collaboration with the ARF, and attended by the President of Armenia, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, ARF leaders, and hundreds of community members and dignitaries.
“We’re celebrating the continuation of this great victory – the victory of establishing the first Armenian Republic. It has never stopped; it had maybe a different face, for seventy years it was called the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, but a lot of us, in our hearts, still believe that the real Republic is the one which is called a free and democratic Armenia,” President Sarkissian told participants at the June 28th Embassy program dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. “What was in our hearts became a reality again, and so the First Republic was reborn; it was never dead, it was reborn again. And it is reborn every and each time when we achieve something; it is reborn again and again when on the fields of the fight for the independence of Artsakh, Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian fighters had in their hearts the image and the message of the First Republic. It was reborn again and again just a couple of months ago, when the Armenians on the streets of Yerevan were demonstrating for a change – change for a more democratic, just country free of corruption, and a country of equals,” noted Sarkissian.
ARF Bureau (World Council) member Hagop Der Khatchadourian congratulated all in attendance on the First Armenian Republic’s centennial, noting, “There is no greater date in modern Armenian history comparable to the miracle that was the reemergence of independent Armenian statehood after more than 5.5 centuries under various harsh foreign rulers. There are no greater feats than the heroic victories of our nation, under the leadership of Aram Manoukian, upon the battlefields of Bash-Aparan, Gharakilise, and Sardarapat. […] From the shapeless chaos of those days a reborn Armenia emerged.”
After detailing the incredible progress made during the few short years of the First Republic in setting a foundation for a country based on social justice and rights, Der Khatchadourian went on to praise recent political changes in the present-day Republic of Armenia.
“Armenia’s successes are our collective successes as a dispersed nation and, similarly, Armenia’s failures are our collective failures,” said Der Khatchadourian. “Now, reinvigorated by a new burst of optimism and democratic values, we have the potential of multiplying those successes and minimizing, hopefully even eliminating, its failures. Now we have the golden opportunity to do our part in helping Armenia, together with Artsakh and Javakhk, not only to survive but to prosper through hard work, dedication, resilience, and our well-deserved proclivity for creativity and innovation. This is our national, collective task, and failure is not an option,” concluded Der Khatchadourian.
Der Khatchadourian’s complete remarks (English and Armenian) are available below.
Master of Ceremonies, Ambassador Grigor Hovannessian, opened the program with welcoming remarks, and by describing the productive collaboration with the ARF of the Eastern US in planning the event and securing the statue. The program included musical presentations by New-York-based young operatic bass Christopher Nazarian and 5th-grade students from Brightwood Education Campus, who are partnered with the Embassy of Armenia as part of the Embassy Adoption Program. The program also included remarks by Hayk Demoyan of the Armenian Genocide Memorial (Dzidzernagapert) in Armenia. As part of the day’s events, the Ambassador presented Mrs. Savey Tufenkian a well-deserved lifetime achievement honor for her decades of leadership in support for humanitarian initiatives both in the Armenian Homeland and the Armenian American community.
The Ambassador was joined by Hagop Der Khatchadourian, Hayg Oshagan of the ARF Eastern US CC, sculptor Megerditch Tarakdjian and architect Aram Aladjajian to unveil the statue to great applause.
The capacity crowd included US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Adjutant General of Kansas National Guard Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Eastern US; Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern US; the leadership of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization (Ramgavar Party), Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen Armenian Athletic and Scouting organization, Armenian Youth Federation, Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Assembly of America, Knights of Vartan, and other dignitaries.
The bronze sculpture of Armen Garo, the First Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., is the creation of renowned Canadian-Armenian artist Megerditch Tarakdjian. Two other Tarakdjian pieces, sculptures of Alan Hovhaness and Arshile Gorky – are also on permanent display at the Armenian Embassy.
The Embassy program was the last in a three day series of centennial celebrations of U.S.-Armenia friendship which included the Tuesday, June 26th Congressional salute of a century of U.S.-Armenia Friendship, the Wednesday, June 27th ANCA advocacy day. The events coincided with the kick-off of the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on Thursday, June 28th, where Armenian culture and history take center-stage along with Catalonia. “Armenia: Creating Home” will be a weeklong exploration of Armenian culture – its influences, contributions, and exchange with diaspora communities throughout the United States. Over a million attendees are expected at the Smithsonian festival, held at Washington, DC’s famed “National Mall” from June 27–July 1 and July 4–8, 2018, which will include over 150 presentations and panels on Armenian music, food, craft, dance, and film, showcasing traditional practices which create “home,” both in concept and in form. The Smithsonian’s “Cultures of Survival” programs featured screenings of “The Promise” and “Intent to Destroy.”
The ANCA Endowment Fund #KeepThePromise initiative is a major sponsor of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
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Remarks by Mr. Hagop Der Khatchadourian
ARF Bureau (World Council) Member
President of the ANC International
June 28, 2018
Washington, DC
ՀՀ մեծայարգ պրն. Նախագահ եւ պրն. դեսպան, Your Excellency the US ambassador to Armenia, Գերաշնորհ, հոգեշնորհ ու արժանապատիւ հայրեր, հոգեւոր քոյրեր, պատուարժան հիւրեր, honored guests, կազմակերպութեանց ու միութիւններու ներկայացուցիչներ եւ սիրելի բարեկամներ,
I would like to congratulate us all on the 100th anniversary of the independence of Armenia. May 28 doesn’t simply denote independence, but also represents the embodiment of a miracle: the resurrection of Armenian statehood after only 3 years of the start of the greatest tragedy in its history, the Genocide of Armenians meticulously planned and executed by Turkish governments from 1915 to 1923.
There is no greater date in modern Armenian history comparable to that miracle which brought back Armenian independent statehood after more than 5.5 centuries under various harsh foreign rulers. There are no greater feats than the heroic victories of our nation, under the leadership of Aram Manoukian, upon the battlefields of Bas-Aparan, Gharakilise, and Sardarapat. The Ottoman Turkish forces that marched to Eastern Armenia to administer the final blow in Turkey’s plan to exterminate a whole nation, withdrew against a resistance of far fewer combatants who had summoned superhuman strength in this life or death battle … And the phoenix rose … Armenia returned to the global family of nations, as a free, independent and progressive republic.
From the shapeless chaos of those days a reborn Armenia emerged.
The first major achievement of this Armenia was the establishment of a progressive state that provided a homeland to all Armenians, that built the pillars of a modern state on the best values of humanity, and that rekindled hope in its people. A people oppressed, tortured, dispersed, murdered, collectively crushed but never losing its national will to survive and contribute to world civilization. A people that saw in the newly adopted tricolor flag and the Mer Hayrenik National Anthem a source of hope and determination.
The second important characteristic was the return of the national identity to an Armenia whose population was oppressed and dispersed within the confines of two empires that deliberately sought to either eliminate or numerically reduce the presence of ethnic Armenians on their own land. The first Republic built the Armenian character of the new state, welcomed thousands of Genocide survivors fleeing Western Armenia, and in one year proclaimed the establishment of a unified Armenia, a first step in our cherished dream of a free, independent and united Armenia.
And the third was its commitment to social justice. Even during those difficult days of war, poverty, and disease – when our very survival was at stake – our leaders of that time did not shy away from addressing as well the social, economic and cultural needs of the people, through progressive policies and laws that brought us pride and worldwide recognition. The Yerevan State University was established in 1919 – Armenian women obtained the right to vote thus making Armenia one of the first nations in the world to establish true equality – land reform was instituted – individual, collective and minority rights were established – and national symbols were adopted to solidify Armenia’s new identity and vision.
