Western Armenia: A Land Never Forgotten
While land claims are generally labeled as nationalist and expansionist, some demands make more sense than others. A new wave of activism argues that some land reparations by Turkey to the Republic of Armenia would be the only guarantee for Armenia’s sustainable development and security.
Advocating in particular for an access to sea, a notion that America’s WWI president Woodrow Wilson underlined for all free countries in his fourteen points and eventually drew a map of Armenia with that principle in mind, a new proposal by Armenian-American activist David Davidian advocates for a relatively minimalist land demand from Turkey.
Davidian’s project, www.regionalkinetics.com/, is featured in many languages. Unlike traditional Armenian claims to their ancient homeland, this project calls for a much smaller land concession to Armenia with the sole purpose of giving Armenia the ability to become self-sustainable and economically independent.
Ironically, Turkey and its ethnic ally Azerbaijan have been blockading the Republic of Armenia since the Armenian-Azeri dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Many Turks consider Armenian demands for genocide recognition as a long-term goal for land claims. Even many progressive Turkish scholars and democrats, who otherwise acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, become irritated by the discussion of land reparations.
Many Armenians consider the Turkish reaction natural, given the wildly-held belief that Turks committed the Genocide to get the Armenian land in the first place. For the rest of the world, it is one headache less for Armenians to forget about their homes in Turkey. Yet CIA’s current Factbook on Armenia has removed a previous passage that used to say, “traditional demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey have subsided.”
Armenian demands to return a homeland they have continuously lived in until 1915 for at least 2,500 years have been seem as idealist. When the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) carried out militant activities in the 1970s and 80s to attract attention to the Genocide, the demand was still seen as idealist-turned-to-terrorist.
Now, David Davidian and a growing generation are introducing more realist and rational reasons – including demonstrating consideration for concurrent claims by the Kurds – for a partial return of Western Armenia to their indigenous people with the aim of empowering the tiny Republic of Armenia and guaranteeing its self-sustainability. And the map they show is considerably smaller from ASALA’s demand – which was an Armenia that Turkey signed on, but later refused to ratify, in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres.
With the Russian-Georgian conflict, as a result of which Armenia’s trade options have diminished, and the growing Iranian-American tension, as a result of which Armenia may lose its only other access to the world, Davidian’s plan may be a dangerous dream but an inevitable alternative at some point.
But right makes might rarely. And the last thing Armenia needs is another war.
Atilla on 04 Sep 2008 at 6:32 pm #
What do you think you are? Do you think Turks and Azerbaijanis are other Palestinians to give you land that you never owned and based on the claims of the Armenian statehood in the region whch did exist only for less than 30 years and even that thanks for the overwhelmingly Turk warriors fighting together with armenians.
There is not and there has never been any juustification for the greater armenia. the armenia as a state didn’t exist for more than 30 years in this regions versus Turks states that existed for more than hundreds of years. We do have more rights for all the regional land than you do. Stop taling and writing all your imaginary fairy tale stories about the land, about conceding the land, about the so-called genocide, etc. Yo uknow all these are dreams and nothig but dreams. My only advice is just keep dreaming. Hungry chicken would see wheat in her dream.
Hayaser on 04 Sep 2008 at 7:06 pm #
if our Hayastan is involved or in the way of “ANY” war, thats it you can forget about having a Hayastan. we would be crippled, no matter how small and/or powerful our army is and even with the backing of russia, we would be crippled. our econony would suffer again, we would revert back to he early 90’s again.
Hayastan would fall on her back again, now she is on her knees slowly emerging up from her back, however a war is not what we want and/or need, nor can we afford it financially, economically, socially, morally, emontionally every “ally” word there is we cannot afford it. our enemies local and from abroad know this very well, that is why no one is stepping up to azerGAY to tell them “BACK OFF ARMENIA” i know for fact that even our closest allies (e.g.: RUSSIA) would not care if Hayastan is finished. their interests in our homeland is not a “necessary” interest for them, but more of a “luxury/convenient” interest. they dont care for us, and our ppl have this wildly held notion that RUSSIA cares for Hayastan, they love us, they protect us. protect us from WHOM ? from WHAT? from azerGAY mazerGAYS ? from turGAYS ? they dont protect us from shit. they only take from our homeland, abuse their power with in Hayastan, and make it as if they are our allies for their own personal gain
as for our claims for our historical ancestral lands, we definitely need access to a sea port, thats with out a doubt. if we had access to the black sea we could do more trade with russia and other neighboring black sea coastal countries, but turGAY will never……..NEVER…..give into a consideration to give up their northeastern territory that borders vrastan. JEWsa would not allow it, EVILsrael would not allow it, even vrastan would not sign on for it. that is the reality, because if we were to get that much small of lands back from them, whats to say we dont try for more ? that is why turGAYS are afraid to give up lands even if the lands dont benefit turGAY and/or their national interests, beause they know if they give up a small slice of the pie, we will be greedy and coherse them for more, even if we agreed to deny our own genocide and tell to the world….”we lied there never was any genocide, turGAYS are righteous all this time”……which is what they want more than anything, still they wouldn’t give up lands. that is what a turGAY is, they are devils, when dealing with the devil, you never win !
Orhan on 05 Sep 2008 at 3:54 am #
If Armenia is interested in the fate that befell Georgia, then they should go on with their claims.
You conquer land you don’t get it for free!!!
Joseph on 05 Sep 2008 at 4:37 am #
Atilla,
Than the Azeris better get used to it.
Joseph on 06 Sep 2008 at 6:38 pm #
The above message should be directed to Orhan.
Raffi Kojian on 06 Sep 2008 at 7:57 pm #
While I’ve long held that borders almost exactly like those Davidian has published are a more realistic and useful settlement (which would be very hard to achieve, but worth pursuing till the end of time), I disagree that the land should come with 1.5 million residents.
Even in this day and age, over 1 million people were moved in China for a dam to be built, so to move a similar number of people to right a huge historical wrong is not so terrible. It can of course be done all at once – perhaps simpler in the long run? But I think perhaps a more welcome and nicer perhaps way to handle that is to have the current residents be forbidden from ever selling or transferring their land, even to their children. When they want to sell, or they pass on, the Turkish government would compensate their family for the value of their property, at which point they’d have to move away.
I also think that although these borders are about right for the Republic of Armenia, that the island of Akhtamar also should be transferred, and the land including and surrounding Musa Dagh, as a separate city state for Western Armenians… as a kind of a preserve for that dialect.
Orhan on 07 Sep 2008 at 6:51 pm #
Joseph,
Dont you think that Azerbaijan would take the opportunity to take back karabag (with Turkish help) during a Turkish Armenian war?
R. Kojian,
In all these years that I have been following you, you have not changed a bit. You are still the same asala supporter. A war with the Turkey would mean the end of modern day Armenia. The Turks unlike the Russians will take all of Armenia, what would the Armenian war mongering diaspora then do???
My advice to you is: Stick with whatever you have or you will lose everything!
Raffi Kojian on 08 Sep 2008 at 12:14 am #
Thanks Orhan, I appreciate all the kind words, even the ones you’re putting in my mouth. But when did I say Armenia should invade Turkey? I advocate recognition and reparations, which any civilized government would agree with voluntarily if they admit to the unfathomable evil that has been done. I’m just waiting for the Turkish government to become civilized is all. Don’t worry, I have a lot of patience, and they seem to be taking baby steps in the right direction (whether they want to or not).
Onnik Krikorian on 15 Sep 2008 at 3:36 pm #
I think the idea of land reparations is a dream that will never come true. I particularly don’t think that anyone is going to take too kindly to the idea of forcibly evicting residents of that land against their will. Besides, who in the Diaspora or Armenia is willing to move there to take up residence in their place?
Give up Paris, London, New York, Moscow for there? I don’t think so. Look at the small number of ethnic Armenians who live here, for example, and even then, nearly all are in Yerevan.
Instead, I think it would be more useful to examine other possible concessions — customs free trade routes, for example, and the return of some church property. Anything else is not going to happen and nobody outside of Armenia or the Diaspora will take it seriously. Financial reparations? Possible.
Levon on 06 May 2009 at 1:50 am #
Onnik, this is not a dream. The damage and crimes commited by Turks cant be counted evaluated compared examined or whatever you want to say. It is extremely huge, they destroyed people’s life, their land, churches, properties, thousand years of history culture, they did everything to destroy the nation and they actually did it, its not a story. What you want them to do to Armenians, they cant do much now, because they did all they could and achieved tasks that were set, killed lots of people, destroyed cities, churches, turkified the lands. The lands that have been drawn here, are only a very small part of what Armenia originally was, kars and igdir have been in Armenia even in DRA and even before in Russian Empire. The north territories of Artvin and ardahan have been disputed and havent been much Armenian even historically ofcourse there was presence but not the majority of people. I can understand why they have been included: 1) they were part of sevres treaty, 2) access to the sea 3) not many people live in these areas. And the website for land reparations doesnt include the regions where Van only because we think that it will not be possible to get those lands a) they are very large and important , b) lots of people live there . But for the crimes that took place we cant just sit in Armenia that we have left now and say “ok sorry we are forgiving you” it doesnt happen like that, nor we can ask for some money without lands, even if Armenia gets fraction of its lands back it doesnt recover the damage that was done to the whole nation, all we can do is try to work and achieve more in the future. I think the right borders should be the Treaty of Sevres ones, because they are the only ones that have actually been optimal,objective, and fair. They include the most imporant historical Armenian lands, Van and surrounding areas, Van, Bitlis, Mush, Karin and much more. Even though there will be still lots of cities remaining outside the borders we cant and wont be able to demand for more, there is a limit for everything. But Sevres one was accepted by many countries and was giving independence to Armenia with their main lands, it also considered possible lands for Kurds which is a big issue now in Turkey. Armenians have done lots of good things to Otomman Empire, have contributed to the growth, development and invested all of their work, have been an unbreakable part of it, but at the end they faced what they didnt deserve at all.