Salpi Ghazarian, Director of the Civilitas Foundation, Yerevan, spoke in Beirut on the occasion of the annual commemoration of the Genocide.

Invited by the American University of Beirut Armenian Heritage Club, Mrs. Ghazarian entitled her talks APRIL 24, 2015. She addressed a gathering of Armenian and non-Armenians at AUB and at Haigazian University and spoke about the need to reconsider ways of presenting the Genocide recognition issue, 100 years after the atrocities.
Mrs. Ghazarian, granddaughter of genocide survivors, who had for many years in various capacities interviewed survivors and compiled their stories, noted that Turkey had missed two opportunities to acknowledge the Ottoman crimes: first, when the Republic of Turkey was born at the beginning of the 20th century, and second when the Republic of Armenia was born at the end of that same century.

She said that since Turkey has not succeeded in righting the relationship, then Armenians must work in new and more effective ways.

She stressed that first, Armenians need to distinguish between personal tragedy and political crime. The events of 1915 are more than stories of suffering and loss. It is easy for others to dismiss our personal grief as dated, but we must insist that the political crime must be acknowledged and reckoned with, she said.

Second, although it is true that many in the world, and especially in Turkey, do not know what happened, and that efforts to inform and educate must continue, we must accept that it is not for a lack of information that world governments have not recognized the 1915 events as genocide. Calling it genocide requires action for which they are not prepared. After all, the horrors of Rwanda are fresh in everyone’s mind, yet foreign governments refused to act there as well.

Third, Armenians must recognize efforts within Turkey to become better informed and to acknowledge the reality of the genocide. She explained that those efforts among a segment of Istanbul’s intellectual and political circles are taking place not for Armenians’ sake, but for the sake of democratization and liberalization within Turkish society, something that is essential for the stability and future growth of that country.

Finally, she said without democratization in Diaspora institutions and in Armenia, Armenian recognition efforts in the next century will be far less effective. Diaspora institutions must democratize in order to prevent the exclusion of valuable and skilled individuals who do not want to become part of authoritarian, autocratic institutions. But most of all, the Republic of Armenia must become a democratic, liberal, inclusive, European state which will give it the upper hand in calling for moral and political justice.  She stressed that only such a state will and can attract and engage the scores of Diasporans who want to become involved in Armenia’s development. In turn, she explained that only if the Diaspora takes on the responsibilities that come with such ownership, will Armenia turn into the country of Armenians’ dreams.

By April 24, 2015, Armenians will require a new agenda to internationalize efforts to acknowledge this crime. The Republic of Armenia, with the weight of a seat in international organizations, and the Armenian Diaspora with its global network and capacity, can together arrive at justice, she said.

Mrs. Ghazarian visited the Hamazkaine Arslanian Jemaran as well as the Hripsimeants School of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.