Random thoughts: Diaspora, its social media and Armenia

Vaհe H Apelian

Left: Viken Zakarin
Right, top to bottom: Monte Melkonian, Mher Juldjian, Garo Kahkedjian 

The other day a friend (Charles Bargamian) commented the following in response to a posting I had on my Facebook page: “Each time you write I am convinced not only are you a Pashinoglu loyalist but an Erdogan Aliev loyalist too!”  By Armenian social media standards, it is not unusual comment. Such derogatory comments are hurled in the Armenian social on the pretext of being more patriotic than thou.

Charles also stated that “Many Americans came to fight in the motherland for Artsakh’s freedom and also lost their lives!”.  That too is not an unusual claim. I know no Diaspora institutional source that authenticates the number of Diaspora volunteers during the Karabagh liberation war and the names of the Karabakh liberation war martyrs from Diaspora.

I know one person, Vartan Tashjian, who had his boots on the ground in Karabagh for four years. Those years are now behind me he says. He gave the following speculation as to how many from Diaspora could be estimated to have taken part in the first Karabagh war. Here is his speculative comment, he wrote a few years ago.

“Thirty-one years ago today, the fierce fighting in the Karabakh war ceased.

Yesterday, during an online conversation with young people, the question arose about how many people from the "traditional" diaspora participated in the war? Young people from 5-6 countries were present at the conversation. One of them believed that the number of participants was 7,000. He said that there were 700 participants from France alone. Others gave 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500, and other numbers.

The end of the conversation was shocking for many when I suggested making a rough estimate of the number of participants based on the following estimate. The number of Armenian fighters killed in 1990-1994 is estimated at about 6,000 (+). The number of participants in the fighting is estimated at about 50 thousand. Four from the traditional Diaspora fighters died - Monte Melkonian, Mher Julhadjian, Garo Kahkedjian (The White Bear),  and Viken Zakarian. Forgive me if I have a martyr whose identity I do not know. 

Based on the above data (the overall mortality rate is about 12%), the number of participants from the traditional Diaspora comes out to be about to 34. Considering that the participation of the overwhelming majority of the traditional Diaspora youth, was incomparably short-lived, compared to the fighters from Armenia and especially from Karabakh; the mortality rate can be calculated at a lower number. Thus, the number of participants can be multiplied by two, three, four, five, six, seven. The number of participants comes out to b 68, 102, 136, 170, 204, 238 persons. Which is still very far from the smallest number -500 - estimated by one of the young participants.

 A more accurate presentation of the facts (the geography of the participants, the forms and duration of participation, motivation, etc.) is expected mainly from historians of the war.”

I find Vartan’s estimation very reasonable. The burden of the Karabakh liberation war, and its consequences, were overwhelmingly shouldered by the citizens of Armenia and Artsakh, who continue to shoulder the brunt of the two Artsakh wars. 

This brings to the institutional Diaspora’s role in supporting Armenia. Diaspora needs to have an informed understanding of the budding democratic governance in the free and independent Republic of Armenia. PM Nikol Pashinyan emphatically notes: “Do you love your homeland? Strengthen its state.” Surely, he meant Armenia’s democratic state. Armenian democracy is   ridden with faults. Is not the American democracy, not ridden with faults? At the dawn of its semiquincentennial, the U.S. of America is still in quest of the perfect union. Democracy is a process, if not a race, but without a finish line. 

I know and understand the complexity of the matter and the short comings of what I pen here. But I believe Diaspora’s contribution or assistance to Armenia is unconditional or should be unconditional with no strings attached, in any form and shape.

Those from Diaspora, who claim that they have entitlements for shaping the course of Armenia, or have expectations as to how Armenia should chart its course, because of a support they render to Armenia, should cease supporting Armenia. 

Diasporans have absolutely no obligation to support Armenia. The citizens of Armenia have obligations towards their country Armenia, our homeland, and they struggle among themselves to shape its course. It is for Diaspora, if it can afford, to be compassionate towards the many needs of the citizens of Armenia and no more.