WASHINGTON (A.W.)—Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, who arrives in Washington, D.C. tonight for the Nuclear Security Summit from April 12-13, will visit the Washington National Cathedral on Mon., April 12 at 11 a.m. and lay a wreath at the tomb of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.
Wilson was a great friend of the Armenian people and an advocate for an independent Armenia that included three Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire (Erzerum, Bitlis, and Van) and north to the Black Sea port of Trabzon, in the aftermath of World War I. The Treaty of Sevres, which included Wilson’s boundary configuration of Armenia, was signed but not ratified by the Ottoman Empire.
The Armenian Embassy in the U.S. announced that leaders and members of the Armenian community are welcome to join the ceremony. Sarkisian is expected to address the Armenian Genocide issue during his remarks, while bestowing special honors on Washington-area Armenian Genocide survivors who will be present.
Sarkisian is also expected to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit. Erdogan proposed the meeting in a written message that was taken to Yerevan by high-ranking Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu.
Commemorating this courageous American visionary is a noble deed but I would rather see Sarkisian make serious headway through legal channels to secure Wilsonian Armenia. Sarkisian can and should take the tangible legal steps necessary to reclaim the assets of our martyrs.
The survivors and kin of those who survived the Holocaust continue to reclaim their rightful legal assets to this very day. Our collective rights to our ancestors assets are no different and we have no reason to settle for anything less than what rightfully belongs to us. When will Sarkisian draft a set of reparation protocols?
What kind of tangible legal steps exist to secure land from another country? All countries believe in having territorial integrity, so I see little chance of this happening.
Hey Justice Seeking Armenian:
Tangible steps to acquire land from Turkey you say! Tell us, just which country would be willing to go to war with Turkey to secure Turkish lands for Armenia? What’s in it for them? No country will do anything to help Armenia get anything! Understand that and move on already!!! You’re ALL about to find out that you 100 year old con job of garnering sympathy from Christian nations has all been for naught!! Not only will Armenia never get a penny from Turkey, it’ll never get a grain of soil either! What it might get however, is get it’s ass kicked in a coordinated Georgian, Turkish and Azerbaijani strike (after all, you dashnaks have pissed off quite a few people over the years)!!
Hey Turk Robert, where you and your 70 millions Turks were hiding when the justice seeking Armenians were liberating their homeland from Azerbaijan? Only a fearful nation will close its borders.
The legal basis for Armenian land claims is dependent on the merits and force of international law.
On November 22, 1920, the arbitral award of US President Woodrow Wilson decided the frontier between Armenia and Turkey. The arbitral award granted the Republic of Armenia a part of our historical heartland, in the north-east. This decision put in place thereafter and enforced forever a ruling which is binding, legally inviolable and perpetual for the existence of our rights, all in accordance with international law.
The arbitral award was realized on the basis of the unqualified compromis of Turkey and Armenia, upon which many countries including the US enforced upon signing as binding, inviolable and perpetual. In adherence with international law, the arbitral award is to be implemented in accordance with the compromis and without reservation.
To see the arbitral award bearing the Great Seal of the United States of America, signed by the US President, and co-signed by the Secretary of State visit: http://www.wilsonforarmenia.org/
The legal force of these documents outlining the borders between Turkey and Armenia can serve as a basis for claiming our rights at the UN International Court as depicted on Wilson’s map. Sarkisian and his legal team would do well to revisit the legal merit of Wilsonian borders and the stipulated agreements that follow from such obligations.
Dearest Robert, unlike others we are not so crass a people as to instigate war in order to reclaim our rightful belongings. Legal channels and diplomacy have worked wonders for us until now. Perhaps one day, your own ‘leaders’ in Ankara will find value in this more civilized approach to governance…
its our time, we are here now, we are golden bright lights. just sit back, and watch, the writing on the wall..take the comfort, it’s for your eyes, only. don’t be tempted to utter a word.
Robert the turk, or rather, robert the robot – spouting Ottoman mentality – still. Incapable of learning truths that all of the world knows of a Turkey’s history – the truths of the Turkish Genocide – violent tortures, slaughters, kidnappings, men eliminated, girls/women raped, women/children forced into churches and these set afire, cruelly bandidosed as vicitms soles of their feet were beaten bloody, then burst, then death… and more, and worse! Robotically , robert is well roboted by his leaders… a perfect robot for their imperfect lies. Manooshag
To Tigran H:
One tangible legal basis is the Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award that is still in full legal force. Countries may believe in their territorial integrity, but there are international laws like this one and other principles that govern them. For example, rights of people to self-determination. If you see little chance of this happening, many other see this already happening as in the cases of Kosovo, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh…
Soul of Armenian Martyrs et al.
Land is not given -asi por asi- just like that,Ossetia Abkhazia and others shed blood and fought tooth and nails for it-like we did to preserve Tenth of Wilsonian Armenia…
As to going through Legal processes ,alsovery difficult.But all FORGET CONVENIENTLY,INCLUDING ROBERT…THAT THERE ARE CLOSE TO 18 MILLION OR OVER k u r d s over West Armenia lands-grated they were there for millenia-PLEASE LEARN HISTORY- they lived sde by side with us -before the Gnekis and Timour leng came along…converted them to Islam-then each went their way..That is not the issue.We cannot overlook THAT REALITY.Instead try to make them-the kurds- understand that in not too far future great Turkey will have to come to grips with the Kurdish Question-this time over not a question of putting them on the march death march to deserts…close to 20 million…
Thence we must come to mutual agreement with the k u r d s ..I got tired of repating this on another line too.Dr. henry Astarjian or others like must make more contact-Luckily in Ra, there are 40/50,00 kurds-yezidis that are IN VERY GOOD TERMS WITH THE ARMENIANS IN ARMENIA AND THESE WLL BE INSTRUMENTAL AS WELL. IN PAVING THE WAY FOR THE WILSONIAN MAP, WHICH …..ALS GRANTED THEM-KURDS AUTONOMY..REMEMBER?
OR HAVE WE STARTECD TO THINK LIKE NEIGHBOUR TURKS..JUST OVERLOOK THEM…
AS TO REPARATIONS!!!!!!!
THIS IS THE ISSUE ‘D LIKE TO BRING FOFRTH TO ALL OF YOU AND ASS O TO AS MANY AS YOU CANPLEASE.
TURKEY IS NOT A REPARATION PAYING Party unfortunately…they ave been taught,treated, educated like getting HANDOUTS FROM…YOU GUESSS WHOM MAINKLY
why unclee Samie….billions over more than 50 ears…now they cannot be changed overnightFROM THAT HABIT TO THE OTHER ONE..But from the transit duties of oil passing through TURKEY 1.6 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR…COME % CAN BE SET ASIDE BYT HE BRITISH -AMERICAN OIL COMPNAIES WHO refused to pass said btc pipeline through armenia -an enemy country eh?
SO THEY SHOULD BE pressed by respective gov.ments to set aside 1/3rd of that easy money to RA and AGBU(latter for those living outside of RA.
.We can also demand “Blood Money” which has precedent-say Jewish people from Germany?????
So o much for now…
Progress for us in this world is difficult and slow, but the symbolism of paying respect to the one man who awarded Western Armenia to its rightful owners is a powerful message to Erodogan. Time does not diminish its value and the victims of this atrocity will not be silenced. Nice move by Sarkissian given all the rhetoric on whether Armenia has claims to Western Armenia… and what the impact of the protocols may be on our rights. This is more like it … Armenia and Diaspora publically on the same page giving the Turkish government strong positions on the Genocide, Karabagh and the need for integrity in our relationships.
Yes, maybe a nice move, but nonetheless Serge put Armenia’s signature on the defeatist protocols and its’ still there. Serge also submitted the protocols for ratification to the parliament. I think signature under a lawful document poses more danger and has more importance over symbolic gestures of laying a wreath or giving a speech at Deyr Zor…