On January 19, the RA Ministry of Diaspora hosted a roundtable discussion, which was entitled “Hrant Dink: 10 Years Later” and featured interesting speeches by several remarkable intellectuals, including writers, publicists, Turkologists, experts in Oriental studies and historians. As always, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Ashot Melkonyan gave a very impressive speech, and I had an interesting interview with him for Hayern Aysor.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Melkonyan, what changed ten years after the death of Hrant Dink? What did Armenian intellectuals of Turkey and Armenia get out of the past decade?

Ashot Melkonyan: There are individuals who actually pave the way with their actions, just like Agos Weekly did, but unfortunately, they remain unnoticed. However, when those people die, only then does the public agree that those people have paved the way. Hrant Dink was truly one of those individuals. It is painful, but it should be mentioned that there were also Armenians who threw dirt in his face in his living years. They didn’t accept his working style and referred to him as pro-Turkish. According to them, he was fulfilling the order of the Turkish authorities, and Hrant Dink was creating an illusion of a democratic Turkey since the country had set the objective to join the European Union. In relation to that, I always bring up the example of Archbishop Maghakia Ormanian, who used to be our patriarch in Istanbul and who was also accused of being pro-Turkish. Maghakia Ormanian would say that the objective of us Armenians is to restrain the beast within the Turks and are responsible for the community. Thus, the archbishop believed it was necessary to choose the right working style. He put his life at risk, not the community. When I would try to make observations during conversations with my close ones, he would tell me the following: “Stop, please, they know everything about me.” He chose that path, and I take full responsibility and say that it was the actions of Dink and people like him that split Turkish society into two over the past decade. So, on the one hand, liberal forces became a greater mass, and on the other hand, Turkish nationalists, namely Erdogan became more powerful. This means that Turkish society will eventually burst as a result of the struggle between those forces within Turkish society.

Karine Avagyan: It seems as though a “new” Dink emerged ten years after the death of Hrant Dink, and this time, that “new” Dink is under the name of Garo Paylan. Is it safe to draw parallels between these two Armenians? Is it safe to say that Hrant Dink paved the way for Garo Paylan and that Paylan is more daring today?

Ashot Melkonyan: Yes, we can draw parallels. Indeed, it seems as though Dink paved the way for Garo through his actions and after his death. Taking advantage of the fact that the Kurds had a more weighty influence in parliament and that he became a Member of Parliament through the Kurds’ political party, he managed to raise the issue at the state level and advance it. By advancing the issue of the Armenian Genocide in the Turkish parliament, Paylan advanced the ideas of Hrant Dink to a very high level. So, it was clear why the Turkish authorities counterinfluenced his actions.

Karine Avagyan: Dear Professor, do you think this conference will spark reactions abroad?

Ashot Melkonyan: I believe so. I am certain that there will be other kinds of events abroad. It would be wrong to view the movement launched by Hrant Dink and others like him as merely a movement of Armenians because it truly became a part of a universal democratic movement, and it has already become an ideal for many democrat Turks. I believe the Ministry of Diaspora has done what it had to do, and it was definitely right and appropriate to respond to such a phenomenon at this level. As for the events abroad, particularly in Istanbul, there will be major events that will have spark great reactions.

Karine Avagyan: Thank you, Mr. Melkonyan! Let’s hope the ideas of Hrant Dink will become one of the priority objectives at the global level and will eventually lead to a just solution of the issue.

Karine Avagyan