I attended the Global Armenian Summit, held in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, from November 5 to 8, on behalf of Agos. Held every two years, the summit brings together representatives of Armenian institutions and individuals from around the world.
I attended many sessions during the summit. Two questions, in particular, seemed to arouse the greatest curiosity. Armenians from Armenia asked, “What is life like for Armenians in Turkey?” Meanwhile, Armenians from Turkey wanted to learn about Armenia’s socioeconomic conditions, asking, “Is there a lot of poverty there?”
These questions reveal two reciprocal stereotypes. According to the first, living as an Armenian in Turkey is impossible; according to the second, Armenia is a poor country.
From my personal experience, I know that, after Armenia, Turkey is the most suitable place to live as an Armenian. Countries comparable to Turkey in this respect are Iran, Lebanon, and, until recently, Syria. The first two are regarded as among the closest states to the Armenian people because they are part of the historical cradle of Armenian civilization, while the latter two have earned this closeness through their hospitality toward Armenians. I know that this situation is not so easy to understand for many in the Armenian diasporas of Western countries. The prevailing tendency is to regard those countries as places that have reached the pinnacle of civilization. This is a widespread perception, and whether it is actually true would require a very lengthy discussion.
On the other hand, until 35 years ago, Armenia was a prosperous country. Its citizens had jobs, lived without anxieties about the future, and enjoyed peaceful lives. Of course, this level of prosperity did not come about by a miracle. Like all the peoples who made up the Soviet republics, Armenians had paid a very heavy price for that prosperity. Then the system collapsed, and a band of plunderers seized the opportunity to appropriate the wealth that had accumulated in the country over the years.
A situation difficult for skeptics to understand
Today's Armenia is moving toward a brighter future, healing the wounds inflicted by that plunder. This, too, is difficult for skeptics to understand, because they have always found the image of an Armenia struggling under the weight of poverty more convincing.
What we witnessed, however, was a Yerevan that is making its natural potential available to everyone. With this potential, the city wins the admiration of everyone, Armenian or not.
Indeed, the streets of Yerevan were incredibly colorful, as were the passengers on the plane we traveled on. We could tell this from the variety of languages we heard.
During this second visit, which took place just one month after our previous one, almost all of our daytime were spent between the Meridian Congress Center and the Red Bridge Hotel.
What Armenia has that Turkey does not
I asked a friend what Armenia has that Turkey does not. As I did not want to put my friend to the trouble of answering, I supplied the answer myself: taste of construction and architecture. I arrived at this conclusion after seeing the architectural innovations of both the congress center and the hotel, and, in particular, the mindset that could be felt behind these creations. Not only their architectural styles but also their engineering applications are in no way inferior to the world's finest examples. The most significant difference between the approaches of the two countries lies in how they pursue their objectives. On one side, contractors concentrate all their attention on profitability. They want to make use of every square meter of available space in pursuit of additional profit. On the other side, priority is given to people's comfort.
As mentioned above, the reason for this second visit within a month was to attend the Third Global Armenian Summit. Organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, the gathering brought together more than 800 participants from over 50 countries.
Some of these participants represented diaspora communities or civil society organizations. Accordingly, in addition to the large conference halls, dedicated spaces were also allocated to these organizations, which presented their work under the heading of “Expo.”
The official opening of the four-day summit took place in the large hall on the fourth floor of the Meridian Congress Center. From that very first moment, it was possible to say that the summit was fulfilling its purpose: people were meeting for the first time, reconnecting with old friends, exchanging information, and expanding their personal networks.
Important messages from Nikol Pashinyan
The summit officially started the following morning, after welcoming remarks by Zareh Sinanyan, the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, and a highly significant speech by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
In his speech, which was something of a lesson in itself, the Prime Minister focused on how Armenians scattered around the world perceive the concepts of homeland and statehood. He explained that the idea of a homeland encompasses different meanings. For some, the homeland is the city where their ancestors were born, and its boundaries cannot be defined. On the other hand, there is Real Armenia, with its territory of 29,743 square kilometers. This territory is called the Republic of Armenia, and authority and responsibility are limited to this territory.
The Prime Minister also addressed the citizenship process, reminding participants that citizenship is an exceptional right granted to an Armenian individual and that it receives the attention it deserves from all Armenians.
At a session devoted to the problems facing Armenian communities, Ruzanna Grigoryan, Pascal Chamassian, Xavier Polatyan, Talin Yakubyan, Hrayr Cebeciyan, and Nazar Binatlı spoke, with Mane Hovagimyan serving as moderator.
Binatlı spoke about the interest shown by Istanbul Armenians in developments in Armenia. He also touched upon the phenomenon of returning to the homeland, which has become increasingly visible within Istanbul's Armenian community. Binatlı drew attention to examples of people moving to Armenia for educational purposes, business, and permanent residence.
Speeches delivered in different languages
It was noteworthy that the speakers at this session chose to speak in English or French. A similar situation arose during the session devoted to issues concerning diaspora media and journalism. Entitled “Media and Public Trust: Challenges and Opportunities in the Contemporary Communication Environment,” the session was moderated in English by Sevana Zadoryan. Kristin Kalustyan Agoudjian and Sate Khachatryan delivered their presentations in Armenian, while renowned film director Serge Avedikian chose to speak in French.
The participant from Turkey at this session was Aram Kuran, founder of Luys Media. Kuran, who is also a member of the Presidential Board of Culture and Arts Policies, spoke in Turkish throughout the conference, and his remarks were simultaneously translated into Armenian.
The cultural initiatives of Istanbul Armenians through Yesayan Association were highlighted
In his speech, Serge Avedikian made particular reference to the activities of the Yesayan Cultural and Literary Association. He recalled the Hantibum Festival organized by the association in March of this year. With its dense program, the festival offered an unprecedented variety of cultural events. Indeed, hosting nearly 50 separate events in a single month made it an exceptional undertaking.
Second, he introduced the productive work of the Hangardz Theatre Company. This group is also one of a kind in terms of its productivity and has managed to extend its theatrical activities into schools.
Aram Kuran, meanwhile, shared with the audience the story of establishing a private television channel in Istanbul, Turkey.
The excitement of the closing ceremony
The three-day summit came to an end on November 8 with a closing ceremony. More like a festive celebration than a formal conclusion, the ceremony was given a special brilliance by the invigorating music of the Yerevan Project band. A cheerful atmosphere immediately took hold of the hall, giving participants the opportunity to step away from the summit's three-day working agenda and surrender themselves to the rhythm of the music. There were moments when participants of all ages joyfully joined in the dancing and shared in the happiness bestowed by their homeland. Then another beloved performer, Erik Karapetyan, took to the stage and continued the festive atmosphere created by those who had preceded him.
In the end, everyone shared the same wish: to meet again in Yerevan, two years later, during the fourth summit, with the same joy and enthusiasm.
Having witnessed all this, we feel it necessary to congratulate the team at the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, whose dedicated efforts made it possible to bring such a large-scale event to life.
Despite everything, one may still encounter people who ask what concrete results the Third World Armenian Summit actually produced. To those who think this way, we would like to offer a reminder: it is not always necessary to look for clear and visible results. The gatherings themselves can be considered an achievement in their own right.
From this perspective, we salute all the hard work that went into organizing the summit and, we thank them with a peaceful soul.
