Inheritor of Armenian Genocide victim says the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide were an awakening for all Armenians
Shavarsh Chrisian is a U.S.-based doctor and the nephew of Shavarsh Chrisian, who was a famous athlete in the Ottoman Empire and the editor of “Gymnast” newspaper. Shavarsh Chrisian Senior was one of the first Armenian intellectuals whom the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide deported and later brutally killed.
Being the inheritor of a family of victims of the Armenian Genocide, Shavarsh Chrisian Junior says Turkey will acknowledge its crime sooner or later. “Nobody can deny that we Armenians have a great claim. A crime was committed against us, and there have to be moral and financial reparations. Why do we need moral reparations? It’s because as long as Turkey hasn’t recognized the Armenian Genocide, Armenia is at risk,” Shavarsh Chrisian said. According to him, the first objective is to have Turkey acknowledge its crime-something that’s not hard to do.
“The Turks are probably afraid of reparations. They can blame it on their forefathers, say they made a mistake, apologize a thousand times and say it will never happen again. This is the greatest claim of the Armenians and the expectation of all mankind. It’s when you lay your head down to sleep, knowing that there is no enemy posing a danger on the other side of the border,” Chrisian added in his interview to “Armenpress”.
Touching upon the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide and the Armenians’ future actions, Shavarsh Chrisian mentioned that he was very content as he saw how Armenians marked April 24th in Armenia and different countries around the world. “One thing was clear-all Armenians had stood up, including English-speaking, French-speaking, Armenian-speaking, as well as Catholic and Apostolic Armenians and made their voices heard. In Los Angeles, 130,000 Armenians organized a march and walked 810 kilometers. We were surprised to see so many Armenians. There were people of all ages. It’s not that the elders were the only ones there and that they’re the only ones who remember. The youth were also there and were screaming that we Armenians have claims. It was unquestionably an awakening,” Shavarsh Chrisian said as he shared his impressions. He also attached importance to the Pope’s Holy Mass and two major statements that he made in his sermon. “There are two things. The first thing that 1 billion people followed was that the Pope used the term ��?genocide’. The other is that, even though, as you know, the Catholic Church has always stated that it is the number one church and that there is no other church like the Catholic Church, the Pope said that the first Christian Church is Armenian. This was a great victory for us Armenians and it was to our benefit,” he said. According to Shavarsh Chrisian, many European countries have already started talking about recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which will lead us to the point where Turkey will be left alone.
“I can almost imagine how Turkey must recognize the Armenian Genocide. The country’s oppositional party has to have more votes and raise our issue to win votes. This will change the people’s mindset. They’ll start thinking about the history, turn to us and say that they have been lied to. After all this, Turkey will officially recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Chrisian noted.
As far as Armenia’s future is concerned, according to Shavarsh Chrisian, Armenia and the Armenians must be able to present themselves to the world as bearers of rich culture and civilization. To do that, they need to be accessible to the masses. “We Armenians have great heritage that is equivalent to the heritage of Egypt and Greece. True, we don’t have pyramids, but we have boilers and antique items. With that we can show the world that we have rights. The United States of America has a history spanning 200 years and is a wealthy country, but the Americans can’t say that they were the first civilized people like the Armenians. We Armenians have marvelous poets and artists, but only a few know about them. How should we present what we have to the public at large? We need to have an international football team, Olympic athletes and tennis players. Do you know why? It’s because 2 billion people watch the Olympic Games, and 2 billion people will see the Armenian flag and the word “Armenia” written on the athletes’ shirts. People will start showing interest in who the Armenians are, and one day, they’ll come to Armenia and understand what great heritage we have,” Shavarsh Chrisian emphasized.