NEW YORK—Below is the text of ANCA chairman Ken Hachikian’s comments during the meeting with President Serge Sarkisian in New York on Oct. 3.
Mr. President:
The Armenian National Committee of America stands with the overwhelming majority of the Armenian American community in opposition to the intense pressure by Turkey and its allies to force Armenia into accepting a flawed and dangerous set of Protocols that threaten the security of Armenia, surrender the rights of the Armenian nation, and insult the dignity of the Armenian people. Among the ANCA’s primary concerns, in keeping with the basic American principles of fairness and the enduring values of the Armenian nation, is that Armenia, illegally blockaded by Turkey and under intense economic and diplomatic pressure, is being forced into accepting terms that threaten her interests, rights, safety, and future – very notably in the form of a proposed “historical commission”, whatever its composition turns out to be. This provision, a tactic long pursued by Ankara to cast doubt on the historical record of the Armenian Genocide, is clearly intended to serve Turkey’s drive to roll back the growing tide of international recognition of this crime against humanity. There can be, as a matter of basic morality and political reality, no enduring relationship between Armenia and Turkey that is not built upon the foundation of Turkey’s acceptance of a true and just resolution with respect to the Armenian Genocide.
Further, these Protocols outrageously surrender the historical rights of the Armenian nation to a just resolution of the Armenian Genocide. They also dangerously undermine the right to freedom and self-determination for the Nagorno Karabagh Republic.
Mr. President, your actions in pursuing these protocols are naïve. They are reckless. And they are simply irresponsible. Your assertion that they do not contain any preconditions insults our intelligence. The requirement for a commission of historians, which I might point out has been soundly rejected by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the formal recognition of borders, and the acknowledgement of territorial integrity without any mention of self-determination are all preconditions imposed and insisted upon by Turkey, which you have unwisely accepted at the point of their blackmail of the closed borders. These preconditions were and are requirements of Turkey; they are the price you are willing to pay to the Turkish blackmailers. Many countries readily normalize relations without such one-sided preconditions.
How dare you accede to Turkish blackmail when our forbearers sacrificed so much and suffered at the hands of the Turks, who to this very day deny the Genocide which the rest of the world acknowledges?
How dare you attempt to squander the political capital that so many have, at great sacrifice, built up over the decades in capitals around the world? And make no mistake, signing the Protocols would put at risk that very capital. You have no moral right to do so. You have no power to do so. And we will not allow you to do so.
You cannot take away the rights of our nation and our people simply because you view yourself as the savior of our country. You are not saving our country; you are relegating us to a subservient position to Turkey while simply abandoning our rights to justice. Your efforts are doomed to failure.
You will be remembered as the president who led our country to a path of dependency, who foolishly bargained away our lands, whose misjudgments led us to a weakened status. If you go forward with these Protocols, your legacy will be deeply flawed.
Do not attempt to hide behind the support of the minority who blindly offer support for your initiatives. They are not the true grassroots of the Diaspora. They simply do not represent the majority of the community. In the face of our vigilance in confronting successive US administrations over their blind and unwavering support for Turkey, their default position is to support these policies of the US State Department. They are the same people who surrendered Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, who supported the disastrous Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission, and who supported the nomination of Richard Hoagland, a morally reprehensible genocide denier, to be ambassador to Armenia. They no longer have political relevance in our community. Don’t be seduced by their meaningless support.
Mr. President, you are making a grave mistake here. I hope you have the wisdom to listen to your countrymen and to back away from this disastrous agreement, before you bring great harm to our country, to our people, and to your presidency.
Are you or someone you know still enslaved to an ottoman mindset? Do you justify the dangerous actions of insincere opportunists in order to visualize grandiose roles of self-importance? Do thoughts about non-compliance, independence, truth, justice, genuine reconciliation and dignity elicit symptoms of anxiety?
Well you’re not alone.
Hundreds of low-life drones just like you are in desperate need of salvation. Be it within the corridors of the AAA or meeting rooms of the AGBU, ill-informed and misguided subjects of Armenian ancestry sit helplessly intrigued by idealistic notions of appeasement only their ottoman masters would fancy. Yes, it’s true that some Armenians have trouble breaking free from the same ottoman slave mindset their great-great grandparents were subject to on a daily basis before being raped and burned alive in 1915.
However, Ken is an example of an individual who has broken free from this defeatist mindset. He has neither forgotten history nor relinquished his quest for justice. There are many of us like-minded out there. If you dream of breaking free from debilitating chains of blind appeasement your chance to do so is only a click away.
Please free yourself or help free others before its too late. Visit http://www.anca.org or stoptheprotocols.com.
Thank you Ken.
The great British diplomat and writer Harold Nicholson believed there were two kinds of negotiators: warriors and shopkeepers. Warriors use negotiations as a way to gain time and a stronger position. Shopkeepers operate on the principle that it is more important to establish trust, to moderate each side’s demands and come to a mutually satisfying settlement. Whether in diplomacy or in business, the problem arises when shopkeepers assume they are dealing with another shopkeeper only to find they are facing a warrior.
Very true, every word of Hachikian is great.
Thank you very much Mr. Charman. You are a true Hayrenaser.
Serzh wants to gamble Armenia with these treacherous protocols just like he gambles Armenia’s precious funds in casinos in Monte Carlo and elsewhere.
Apart from being a liar he is now a traitor.
It is the time, this idiot Serge reveals his true identity and takes away his mask and show us that he is a genuine Turk, not an Armenian. How dare he calls himself an Armenian? We should remove this guy from power and impeach him as soon as possible before he does more damages to us, our main future objective should concentrate on that. I bet you he will not run for office for next term, because he then wants to enjoy the money he got from Turks and CIA.
BRAVO Paron Hachikyan!!!
Thank you for saying: “And we will not allow you to do so” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Voice from the Diaspora
Unnoticed we survived,
And again thrived
But to this very day we remind
With truth and dignity by our side
The Lord is our guide
Armed with truth we decry
Those who label our genocide a lie
For the truth will arise before their very eye
Pushing forth justice that remains a far cry
So suddenly to endorse a pair of protocol
That can only be ratified by drinking more alcohol
How dare Sarkisian squander my rights from our capitol?
Offering concessions that follow no overhaul
With or without our republic we must stonewall
Can this roadmap be without the Diaspora after all?
A President no longer willing to fight
For the cause of justice so right
Castrated from all his might,
He relinquishes our right
If there was ever a deadline so tight,
When our community must unite,
To battle day and night without any fright
Today marks that day, not in a fortnight.
This speech could have an influence on someone who still has a little patriotism, morals or dignity and who cares about Armenia and the Armenians …I’m sure, that this speech had no influence on the president , as the words patriotism, Armenia, Hayrenik are so far from him. How can you expect him to say NO to the protocols, if the only mission of this MARIONET-PUPPET was to sign those protocols (or do you really thikn that this desicion has been made only weeks ago?) and that is the only reason why this person so illegally is still the “president” of Armenia? I’m so sorry that Spyurk only now understands what bunch of betrayers and cynics rule over the country. They have grabbed the country and the people , they own all the factories, buildings, lands, the 99% of the sums that come from
Spyurk and the International organizations are in their private accounts abroad, their relatives terrorize the people… They spit upon what we all think about their actions …They only laugh at our hopes, that it’s still not late to refuse to sign those protocols…Isnt it time to unite, as this time they mock not only at the armenians in Armenia, but at the armenians all over the world and they deface the memory of millions of Armenians who were massacred in Turkey, and they deface the efforts of so many people – Armenian heroes, who didnt spare their lives, time, money for convincing the world of our truth. Is it really possible, that we will allow a person – of unknown nationality and origin, to give up for lost on so many efforts, personal and national sacrifices??? Isnt it really impossible to stop them until it’s too late??? Are we really going to allow one person to decide the fate of the whole nation?