A MEETING IN “NORAVANK” FOUNDATION
On July 4 of the current year the “Noravank” Foundation’s experts hosted the RA Foreign Ministry head of the Committee for Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan. The subjects discussed at the meeting concerned to the urgent issues of organizing the Armenians people all over the world. Beginning from October 1 the above mentioned committee will be reestablished into a Ministry for Diaspora affairs, which will make a serious ground to realize the practical steps directed to solve these problems.
The director of “Noravank” Foundation, Gagik Harutyunyan, mentioned that it was already a year that in the framework of the Foundation had been working Armenological Systemizing- Information center which was engaged in organizing Armenological researches, establishing ties with Armenological centers, organizing and realizing researches and practical works in Armenian communities. He accentuated the significance of forming Pen-Armenian joint information field, exchange of current information by means of using all the advantages of network capacities.
Representing the works carried out in the following direction G. Harutyunyan also mentioned that within the framework of its resources Foundation had also held an International Conference in Yerevan devoted to the problems of Armenian communities (June 2007) and organized field research works in the Armenian communities. Both the above mentioned Conference and field researches to study the communities are the first events realized during the years of the RA independence.
The head of Armenological coordination-information center of “Noravank” Foundation, Phd Harutyun Marutyan was brief while touching upon the works carried out in the framework of the center programs, especially accentuating the issues concerning the policy of Armenian memory. Some attempts have been made to outline practical ways of political usage of memory about genocide, to inform the people inhabited in Armenia about the attempts of foreigners (especially Jews) of putting forward and looking for ways of solution of the Armenian Question issues within a certain framework. And that attempts suggest that it is necessary to undertake the work of wording, motivating and representing claims raised to compensate material damages caused by the Genocide taking into consideration the fact that this process has been lasting for tens of years. The best way to give solution to this problem is founding a non-governmental organization which will not be constrained by the laws of the interested state. This body may also be a structure carrying out research-legal activity which is granted some competence by the state and works within this framework at the same time representing the interests of heirs of the Genocide victims spread all over the world. Such a body has officially been founded: the “Organizing committee for preparations of the congress of representatives of those Armenians saved from the Great Armenian Genocide.” It makes steps to strengthen its organizational capacities. One of the latest initiatives of the organization is the scientific-practical conference “Claims of western Armenians in the context of the Armenian Question” held in Nikosia in April 2008.
The next problem, which is included in the program of the foundation’s activity, concerns studying the experience of other states (in particular Israel) in working with Diaspora communities and organizing repatriation. This experience has come to show that the ideology of repatriation means not only realization of certain steps to return them to their native land, but, first of all, to establish close ties with the Diaspora communities, with separate people and families, involving them into the common cause for the welfare of the native land, and in the practical aspect – creation of mighty structures in the format of state and non-governmental organizations. The experience of other countries is quite multiform and edifying; it is improved all the time and needs to be studied periodically and carefully.
The head of “Noravank” Foundation’s Armenological program of “Security of the Armenian people: research of communities” PhD Tamara Vardanyan mentioned that it had already been established constant relations with a number of Armenian communities of the CIS countries and with people engaged in preserving the Armenian identity. According to her, continual exchange of information about problems and events in the communities is circulating. Much attention is devoted to the problems of the Armenian community in Tbilisi, and at present active work is carried out together with the local Armenian non-governmental organizations to work out and introduce mechanisms of preserving the Armenian language and culture with the help of national potential of public organizations. From this standpoint it is important that in the Foundation it is well known the problems connected with the condition of once powerful but at present day by day weakening Armenian communities.
It was mentioned that today it had not only been established motherland-community relations, but also direct intercommunal ties aiming at establishing mutual cooperation and furthering effective exchange of experience. T. Vardanyan also noticed that the process of the Armenians’ assimilation on the post-Soviet plane was quicker than in the other regions, for example, in the Middle East, as up till now had been preserved the memory about our once being the citizen of a united powerful state. Besides, Russian culture and language are closer to us by nature, and these factors in their turn weaken mechanisms of self-protection (immunity) and vigilance in us and the ability to distinguish and appreciate real threats.
It was also discussed the problems of teaching the Armenian language. It was mentioned that in the communities of the post-Soviet plane the Armenian children were foreign language speakers (especially Russian language speakers), accordingly, it was necessary to raise the interest to their native language and create additional stimulus for teaching, for example, organizing Armenian language and literature Olympiads and competitions, distance courses of studying, that’s to say, doing everything possible to stimulate the Armenian youth to be introduced to the Armenian civilization and become the carriers of national values.
The participants of the meeting were unanimous that to solve the above mentioned unhealthy and actual problems it was necessary consolidation of active and healthy powers of Armenia, NKR, Javakhk and Diaspora.
The head of “Noravank” Foundation’s Armenological center, PhD Ruben Melkonyan mentioned that the problem of Islamized Armenians of Turkey was very multilevel and was to be treated adequately. At present certain processes occur among Armenians which were forcedly Islamized, for example readopting Christianity. Some attempts are made to protect historical-cultural monuments, and interest is stimulated to the native language etc. It was especially mentioned that “Noravank” Foundation had organized field researches (scientific-research business trips) to the eastern districts of Turkey within the framework of the work carried out to study the “apostate” Armenians.
One of the most important shades of the problem is the issue of perception of apostate Armenians by the other groups of Armenians. As an example of barrier among these groups were mentioned cold relations among the Islamized Armenians inhabited in Germany (Europe) and the local Armenian community, which is quite a serious problem. P. Melkonyan accentuated the importance of perception of the fact that as a result of different historical reasons it had been formed a stratum of Armenians and people of Armenian origin which differd from us by their religion, culture and way of life. The existence of this stratum is a fact which must be taken into consideration and it is necessary to work out ways and methods to reestablish relation with them.
In his speech H Hakobyan mentioned that up-to-date information technologies had made a good ground to put forward the above mentioned problems. H Hakopian singled out four basic directions one should adhere to while carrying out the work: organizational, ideological, financial and legal. “Diaspora’s attention is to be concentrated on Armenia,” she mentioned adding that the native land must be a magnet attracting to it.
At the end of the meeting “Noravank” Foundation’s director G. Harutyuntan added that the Foundation would continue scientific-research and scientific-Practical works in the above mentioned directions and was ready to cooperate with the new ministry. In her turn H. Hakopyan mentioned she was impressed by the meeting and hoped that the Foundation would make its contribution on working out the ministry’s conception and the process of specification of its further plans and priorities.
