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32 Comments

1. many like you did not overcome the tragic events and wallow in their misery, but many like you were not fortunate to have a loving father that you are so proud of,
   we in the diaspora could not expect much from Armenia’s ability to change , they are set in their ways and only care for quick fixes,
   we have talented leaders but no experience in governing and worst of all not open to constructive criticism,

   • “they are”….I would have been hesitant to divide and LABEL Armenians on “us” and “them”, otherwise it is becoming absolutely legitimate when the author “shares disappointment” when FEW (only and not ALL) Haiastanci Armenians would not “accept” those from Az-an back in 90s.

2. An extraordinary contribution. I hope every Armenian from the Diaspora gets a chance to read it, as well as all people sharing interest for the beautiful Armenia. “Never forget where you come from, it’s what made you the person you are today” they say. May all Armenians one day come back to stand for their country, there is so much to do there, but the musical fountains will warmly welcome you back home indeed.

3. if you went through the American school system with a last name like yours,
   you should write a book about survival

4. Thank you, Anna for this wonderful article. I am sure that many Armenians whether they were born in Armenia, Baku, Artsakh, Khndzoresk or any other corner of the world, share similar faith and the same feelings about their Motherland. I was born in Yerevan to parents one of whom came from an orphanage after 1915 genocide (my father was originally from Van, nobody knows if any documents stated the fact, and my mother was from Khapan, Syunik region). There are many thing I have my doubts about but there is one fact that I know for sure, it was extremely hard for every member of my family to hear the horrific news from Sumgait and Baku at that time. I remember how we would sit as close to our TVs as possible to learn about all the victims of Azeri gangs and tearfully and wholeheartedly morn the loss of our sisters and brothers. I still remember the face of Karine who was pregnant at the time and who was rapped in a carpet and burnt alive in the streets of Sumgait. And I always remember one of the greatest neurosurgeon of of time who was thrown out his 8th floor apartment window to his death only because he was of an Armenian decent. Throughout all these years I carry the pain with me and it is very hurtful that you only remember some thugs who tried to insult you and your family. I cannot believe that you never heard of people who let their “brothers and sisters” from Azerbaijan into their homes, for whom they provided food and shelter in a manner that they could not do for their own families give the worst times in the history of our country at that time. I was an Assistant Principal at Russian language school #85 in Yerevan and I have to let you know about the care and love we surround all he children and their parents who came from Baku and Sumgait, many of whom still live in Yerevan. Please make sure you interview other people about their experiences in Armenia before you summarize your thoughts putting everybody on the same line with those who might have had some personality and/or psychological problems to deal with refugees.
   Even though I had to come and live in the U.S. I never let my country or my people down, I tremendously LOVE Armenia and I LOVE our “unsung heroes” all those who stayed in the country so it could be rebuilt and rejoiced. They are the ones who keep Armenia on the map of the world and they are the ones who welcome us every time we visit our HOME.
   Best of luck to you in your personal and professional life.

   • Dear Gohar,

     Thanks for your comment.

     You are very right, there were many kind and generous hearts, as you will find in my book, a personal diary I keep as a child. Many of them, including my mathematics teacher kept me close to her heart, even now 22 years later.

     However, I think it’s a disservice to ourselves and to our history to deny the maltreatment of Armenians from Azerbaijan was all positive. In order to grow and move away from this tragic part of our collective history we must never deny the truth. And that’s exactly what I found in today’s Armenia: coming to terms with the past and moving away and up from it.

     My above story is a personal account of returning, voluntarily and with an open heart, to the most painful and debilitating part of my life. I encourage others to share their stories, whether good or bad. Because all of it is worth preserving toward the betterment of our Armenia.

     Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

5. At last ! I was waiting for this kind of book for long time. I have the same experience … But as much as I try to forget, never even talk about this period of my life , pain still is there. All monsters, that were committing those crimes, still been left absolutely unpunished . Are we all going to do something with it ?! p/s Thank you Anna for your book !

6. The most powerful and inspiring article I have ever read about Armenia.

   • Thank you.

7. Anna Turcotte has written an excellent, moving, emotional piece about her experiences as a young Baku refugee, and now coming full circle and returning to Armenia where her family struggled to survive 22 years before. I couldn’t help but cry with her as I read her words describing how Yerevan had now come alive for her after so many painful memories. She is one talented lady who continues to amaze us by her commitment to Artsakh, and writing so those in the diaspora can learn of the tragedy of Baku-Sumgait through her personal memoir. Bravo, Anna!

8. WOW ! What an incredible article and story.

9. i remember when the horrors in baku and sumgait happened, the Armenians from philadelphia, new jersey new york went to demonstrate in new york city i could not believe my eyes of the thousands and thousands of Armenians marching against the horrific killings of innocent Armenians, we saw this as a second Genocide, the same happened In Armenia. we are all Armenian and should treat each other with love and caring.you will always have a few that see a tragedy as threat to themselves. An Armenian is a part of Mother Armenia where ever they live. Armenians always live with hope for peace and happiness we are all survivors

10. Anna, thank you continuing to to write and speak about the untold tragedy in Baku that happened just 25 years ago. Your perspective, while sad with regards to the history, is inspiring as to what the future holds for our ancestral homeland.

11. Thank you for sharing such a moving story with us. With love from Hyelandz.

12. I am sorry, but I could not continue to read, I had to comment.
    I also came to USA as a refugee, also left Baku in 1989, lived in Yerevan for 2 and a half years. And I can not completely agree with everything I read.
    Nether my friends nor relatives had problems naming their kids how they wanted. I had my engineering education in Baku, worked in a big company, had a lot of friend different nationalities. Never had any problems with being Armenian in Azerbaijan.
    Same applies to Armenia. After only a month being in Yerevan I found a job. I could not speak Armenian and no one told me that I could not work. Instead, everyone helped me to adjust. I had a lot of relatives in Yerevan then and everybody were happy to see us. we were welcome in every family. My sister found her husband in Armenia. We met a lot of good people, still keep in touch with some of them. May be it depends on how you present yourself….may be we were just lucky..Don’t know.

    • Dear Veta, yet you left Baku and live in the United States. I was 11 years old. I’m not sure how a child is supposed to present herself to be accepted.

      That being said, my parents were successful professionals until 1989. The reason they were afraid to name me an Armenian name (and the reason why our last name was changed to Astvatsaturov from Astvatsaturian) was because of what my grandfather witnessed surviving the 1918 massacre of Armenians in Baku. He fled to Turkmenistan and barely survived. If you read my diaries you will see that my parents had many friends of all nationalities and our Azerbaijani neighbor actually risked her life for us. Had that been a majority of the population – we wouldn’t be conversing about it in English on an American Armenian publication.

      Thank you for your comment. Best wishes to you and your family,

      Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

13. Incredibly well written, that gets under your skin, touches your heart and make your eyes teary.
    What is amazing and impressive is what Anna has achieved after all that she had to endure and go through. A long voyage in a short span of time.
    Bravo Anna, you are a tough, sensitive and determined lady. Good luck.
    Vart Adjemian

    • Thank you, Vart

14. Thank you for writing this. I hope that it will be circulated widely and perhaps republished a number of times to reach as many people as possible.

15. It was nice to read this interesting story, what caught my eye at the beginning was that when Anna came here, she did not feel she fit in, not with Americans and not with the local Armenians. Not fitting in with the Americans is predictable, but I wonder why the Armenians as well. So Anna, can you elaborate?

    • I tried to explain, but Sam makes my point for me below.

16. Thanks for this article. It is always nice to see a shining light in the darkness of Armenian pessimism. We Armenians, sadly like to focus on all the negative aspects of our country. It’s been only 20 years and during these 20 years we experienced a tragic earthquake, a horrendous war and then blockade. I am not sure if any other nation could have survived in such condition.

17. What an amazing and well written article! There was a large number of Armenians impacted by the events and everybody found their own way to survive (if lucky). Anna’s story ones again reminded me about our past that will never be forgotten. Anna, thank you so much for sharing your personal story! Please continue doing what you do!!! Also, thanks to the Armenian Weekly for publishing this “unusual” topic.

18. Yes, of course. We were sent to and stayed in North Dakota upon arriving here as refugees where there’s little to no Armenians. By the time I came to the east coast for law school I lost all the Armenian language I’ve learned in Armenia. We speak Russian at home as do many Baku Armenians. And growing up I was surrounded by Americans, so I always felt out of place with either group. Now, however, I feel more connected to the Armenian Diaspora being in my 30s, being a parent and since coming out publically with my book and becoming active. Which is what I’m hoping Baku Armenian community eventually does – actively engages. Because it brings us closer and more connected.

19. in response to Hagop, fitting in is whats the normal acceptance,
    in my town Baku refugees drive from far places for Sunday service, none has any desire to learn the prayers or customs of our medieval church rituals but they congregate by the door half in half out and yap yap yap with their soviet style black leather coats and chain smoking , now if they spoke in Armenian maybe I would greet them.

    • Sam

      Maybe you should greet them just for being fellow Armenian and making an effort to drive from such far places to come to Church.

20. In response to Sam, thanks for sharing your observations. Personally, I’m not in favor of stereotyping any type of Armenians (and things in general) by place they come from and I would say that the behavior you described above applies to most (if not all) of immigrants coming from the Soviet Union.
    We need to keep in mind though that majority of those people are not religious and they were not part of any Armenian organization in the past as those couldn’t exist in the Soviet country. Language is the biggest barrier especially for the 1st generation of Baku Armenian refugees. That’s my understanding why they tend to stay together.
    Generally, Armenian Churches in diaspora serve not only to unite people with God but also help them to unite with other diasporans or serve as a place to survive…
    I wonder if someone attempted to find ways to educate immigrants from the Soviet country about Armenian organizations here in diaspora, so we could see an active involvement from them/their kids. Of course, all of this requires careful planning and proper execution.

21. Incredibly written article, which mirrored mine and my family’s life more or less to a tee. We ran from Baku on the last train headed to Yerevan before chaos fully ensued and lived in Yerevan for a few years before emigrating to the U.S. in ’92. The older I got, the more aware I became that “something” was missing. So I went to volunteer in Yerevan for 2 months via Birthright Armenia, and stayed for 1.5 years. I saw and felt the country in its entirety and it settled deep into my heart. Despite the terrible stories I hear from family and friends about their treatment in Yerevan as Baku Armenians, I share my discovery and emotional experience of the country each and every chance I get in hopes of inspiring at least one person to return and see the country for what it has become. I look forward to reading your book. Thank you for being a voice for one generation and, with this article, urging all generations of Armenians to be united.

22. Hi Anna,
    what a fantastic article with full of real news.
    I admire you.
    A big BRAVO . ABRIS.
    keep up the good work. Armenians are hard working people.
    Mihran Meneshian
    Montreal. Canada

23. Anna this is a beautifully written article. Unrelated to your piece i believe there are Azeri families who have suffered similar fates. I wonder if the diaspora is trying to build people to people links with individual Azeris and azeri diaspora groups? Its governments who start wars–most people just want to live in peace.

    • Dear Daryl, thank you. To answer your question, I’ll say this – from personal experience it is dangerous for Azerbaijani citizens to communicate with an Armenian. I have no contact with personal friends who are in fear for their safety. I’m not sure how an Armenian Diaspora can help alleviate the human rights violations of the Azerbaijani dictatorship. I believe it is up to the western and democratic governments of the world to hold the Aliyevs responsible for targeting journalists, civil societies, activists and dissenters within their own country. Governments do start wars. In this situation the blood is on Azerbaijani government’s hands. In response to a lawful referendum, this government began shelling civilians (both Azerbaijani and Armenian) within Karabakh and killing Armenians like mysef in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku. And now the western powers turn a blind eye and host human rights symposiums in Baku. Let’s not fault Armenians for the plight of Azerbaijani refugees. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

24. daryl martyris,

    Your belief, in regard to those “Azeri families” suffering a similar fate as experienced by the Armenians from Azerbaijan is actually false. As a result of the four hundred thousand Armenians forced out of Azerbaijan in the early nineties, the 150 thousand Azeris who had previously lived in Armenia and Artsakh were likewise forced to leave as well. However, those evicted “Azeri families” were at least permitted to leave with their belongings; on the other hand, the Armenians of Azerbaijan had been subjected to horrifying massacres in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku, which finally led to the rapid exodus of the entire Armenian population from Azerbaijan in order to avoid being massacred. This is certainly not a similar fate.

    Why is the Armenian diaspora obligated to build “links” with the Azeris, who seem to be quite supportive of President Aliyev, who himself has declared that the Armenian people are Azerbaijan’s biggest enemy and must be destroyed?

    “It’s governments who start wars- most people just want to live in peace.” Yes, that’s true. As a matter of fact, the people in the two republics of Armenia and Artsakh wish to live in peace; however, the Azerbaijani government is attempting to start a war by persistently launching terrorist attacks on these two Armenian countries.

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