Armenians, worldwide, and particularly those of us who are activists, politically motivated
creatures, have a responsibility to fight for the interests of our nation and state.
This means we are not only pursuing the Republic of Armenia’s (RoA) interests or its citizens,
nor only those of the Republic of Artzakh’s interests and its citizens, nor the Armenians living in
Javakhk, nor those of Turkish occupied Western Armenia and parts of Turkey, and of course not
only the Diaspora in all its multiple forms and locales.
It clearly means ALL of the above!
Given our three-and-a-half-decade (almost exclusive) infatuation with rebuilding RoA statehood,
we seem to have forgotten, or relegated to deeply secondary importance, the imperative of
working on pan-Armenian needs and interests, not just those of the current Armenian state.
Here’s where the vacuousness, inanity, and fatuity of Pashinoghloo’s fake “real Armenia”
concept is bared. He seems to be hell-bent on promoting a very hollowed-out Armenian agenda,
exclusively serving the limited interests of the RoA in its diminished size (27.5% of Wilsonian
Armenia, and far less of the totality of our lands) and its current residents, to hell with Western
Armenia, Artzakh, Javakhk, Nakhich/jevan, and the 75-80% of Armenians scattered worldwide.
Yet, he and his minions still expect the participation and support of that same 75-80%.
It’s hard to believe this of a fellow Armenian. But how else to explain Pahinoghloo’s avoidance
of the word “genocide” (ցեղասպանութիւն–tzeghasb/panootiun), opting instead for “Med/tz
Yeghern” to avoid the legal ramifications of the former term? Or, his equating of the absurd term
“Western Azerbaijan” with “Western Armenia” when explaining that the latter discomfited
“others” in the same way the former does us. Need I point out the absurdity of this analogy?
Armenia, in its entirety has been a national, geographic, and even cartographic reality for
millennia while Azerbaijan was simply (and originally) a Persian province’s name until the
establishment of the first Republic of Azerbaijan in the aftermath of World War I.
It is well past time that we who care about all places, people, and things Armenian flexed our
figurative muscles in any and all ways possible to terminate this unhealthy, a-national, and more
bluntly, anti-Armenian policy being implemented by the current head of RoA’s government.
We must all act to benefit Armenia, in all its geographic components, and Armenians wherever
they may currently reside.
Garen Yegparian (20250514, 0608)
