Pashinyan: Demand for international recognition of Armenian Genocide is anti-Armenian policy

[u/hagmagar99]

https://news.am/eng/news/938997.html

[u/GrechkaLover]

Have you read what's written in the source itself? There's no such words there, not even close. News.am is such a garbage media.

[u/Sisyphuss5MinBreak]

Here's what he actually said:

There is nothing more cruel and painful than waiting. But we, as a people, have been living with this expectation for 100 years, and this is an imperial policy, an anti-Armenian policy, according to which if you do not calm down, you will return or we will return — then there will be international recognition of the genocide, then you will return to Van, Mush, I don’t know, Cilicia, and so on.

He's *not* saying that it's anti-Armenian to promote genocide recognition. He's saying that it's anti-Armenian to believe that Armenians will soon be able to return to Van, Mush, etc.

It's a geopolitical fact that Armenia will not be taking control of any territory in Turkey or Azerbaijan. Thus, Pashinyan is correct in saying that people shouldn't give false hope that Artsakhcis will be able to return home any time soon.

The headline (not from OP but from NEWS.am) is wrong.

[u/T-nash → u/Sisyphuss5MinBreak]

Watched the video just in case the English translation might be wrong, and still found nothing.

Whoever wrote this article should be fined for misinformation.

And just to add, even though this wasn't what was said, it has always been the policy of Armenia not to pursue the Armenian genocide recognition since independence. None of the past governments, nor the present, have gone after it at a state level, all for the same reasons, Turkey being a wild country and the higher value of Turkey to other countries. I doubt any future governments would go after it either.

[u/senolgunes → u/T-nash]

And just to add, even though this wasn't what was said, it has always been the policy of Armenia not to pursue the Armenian genocide recognition since independence. None of the past governments, nor the present, have gone after it at a state level, all for the same reasons, Turkey being a wild country and the higher value of Turkey to other countries. I doubt any future governments would go after it either.

This paints a different picture, unless you have a different definition of pursuing.

https://evnreport.com/politics/armenian-genocide-diplomatic-pragmatism-moral-obligation/

[u/zeMVK → u/Sisyphuss5MinBreak]

No, he’s saying that it’s anti-Armenian policy to pursue genocide recognition because if it works out, Armenians will go back to their ancestral homes, and leave Armenia.

At least, how I understood that quote, is that he believes Armenians leaving Armenia to go back to their ancestral lands is anti-Armenian policy. And that letting go of genocide recognition indirectly prevents people from returning to their ancestral lands.

[u/Sisyphuss5MinBreak → u/zeMVK]

I'm just going off the English translation, so if you're going off the Armenian, let me know.

I can see your point, but I don't think he is worried about people actually leaving but *thinking* they might leave. As long as people stay in a "status of wanderers" or "preserve a refugee mentality", then they're not going to invest in Armenia. If they don't invest in Armenia, only then is it a threat to the country because then it "prevent[s] the creation of the Republic of Armenia as a state".

This is a nuanced enough difference that it could easily get lost in translation.

[u/zeMVK → u/Sisyphuss5MinBreak]

I think the growth in Armenia’s economy is proof of the contrary. Any country’s government like to take more credit than it deserves for economical growth. And while policies passed help, it’s the people and businesses that really make an economy run. I think this growth is more of a sign of the people’s will to grow by investing in it.

[u/No-Load1 → u/zeMVK]

It’s neither of these things. He is saying that it’s anti Armenian to dangle the perception of a return to places that will never be returned in order to rule through the government. And it’s true. Why dod state officials allow Armenians to think that we could take over any other country in the region? 

[u/haveschka]

who forced him to speak of such topics before the elections?

[u/zeMVK → u/haveschka]

I’m glad he has. He’s showing his true colours in the past weeks.

[u/surenk6]

Can he please shut up? Can he stop torpedoing his own elections? What's wrong with this guy's words filter?

[u/Typical_Effect_9054 → u/surenk6]

Can people who only read the headline and do not further investigate the topic and nuance please shut up?

[u/zeMVK]

We are a people of refugees. The diaspora being as big as it is and nearly all of it originating from our ancestral lands is a fact that supports that we are refugees. Denialism and manipulation rhetoric won’t change that.

As a Diasporan, I’m a patriot to Armenians and Armenia. To me, our people, our culture and our nation comes first. And I tend to support the Armenians’ voting for a government they think is best for them, because I believe they should have a government geared for the problems and ambitions of those who live in our republic.

I honestly have a hard time accepting Pashinyan. I know that past presidents and governments were incredibly corrupt and contributed to the poor state our country is in. But it’s hard for me to see how Pashinyan isn’t doing the same but from the other side of the same coin as his predecessors. No two nation have contributed more to the pain, suffering and continued threat to our people as our turkic neighbours. It really seems Pashinyan’s bent over to them and willing to give them anything in the name of peace: getting rid of our church (I’m an atheist and I do think the corruption in the church needs to be cleaned, but Pashinyan seems to be in full out war with it), handling of the Karabagh refugees, fear-mongering war if he isn’t reelected, genocide “denial”, etc. He seems to want to go as far as flaying our culture, our identity and then rewriting it, all for a supposed peace we cannot trust because our neighbours aren’t trustworthy.

As a patriot , I’ll stand behind who ever the people vote for, but I hope Pashinyan isn’t reelected.

[u/bigpurplewindow → u/zeMVK]

You agree the Church needs to be cleaned, but you're against Pashinyan when he tries? I'm not trying to be provocative here, I am genuinely curious about what the feeling is in the diaspora. I am a christian, but it is the Church that tried a coup in the first place, and that started this "war". Let's not forget that Bagrat and his masters had planned terrorist attacks, and were ready to take civilian lives to gain power. I don't blame Pashinyan for cracking down on a corrupt institution with known ties to foreign powers, and God knows I blame him for a lot of things.

Aout the handling of the Artsakh regugees, I do believe the gov did a good job, considering our situation and the scale of the crisis. Refugees were granted housing, offered jobs, in some cases had monetary help, and they could (and still can I believe) get the Armenian nationality.

Lastly, neither Pashinyan nor any member of his cabinet have ever denied the genocide, contrary to what some Russian funded "news" channels like to say. He did say however, that the recognition of the genocide was not a policy of the government, but it actually never has been since independance, even before Pashinyan. About this specific article, I'd reccomend reading it, as the title is purely false, and the quote has been created.

[u/No-Use-579]

He’s not wrong.

This or that government recognising The Genocide brings no tangible benefits to the inhabitants of Armenia.

All it does is antagonise a powerful neighbour who we’re trying to convince to open their borders. It also puts Turkish society on the defensive and makes them less likely to come to terms with the past.

[u/Andruschkikov → u/No-Use-579]

You're correct. You’re being downvoted by people who are geopolitically incompetent. Demands come from a position of power, one we do not hold as of now. The country’s priority should be economic growth as well as building diplomatic relations, also neutrality in war, all of which Pashinyan is fulfilling. People can dislike him but they better come up with solutions for the future.

[u/Busy_Roll5840]

So is he going to try to stop Diasporans around the world from pushing for recognition? Just like with the Artsakhtsi thing, this is our movement to end, not his.