Integrating national values and character

Vaհe H Apelian

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Vahan Zanoyan needs no introduction. He is an accomplished person and not an indifferent Armenian.  I read in  the Mirror-Spectator, his latest personal article about Ruben Vardanyan and the syndrome of indifference, I imagine his article will likely be reproduced by other Armenian publications. While the article is personal and has to do with the syndrome of indifference, but it sure is part and parcel of a greater whole which is our national values and character. Vahan remains concerned of their erosion under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He wrote: “An Armenia stripped of its national character and values is already defeated, even if in peace with its neighbors, because it would be a sterilized Armenia, a skeleton, just a map without a soul—indifferent to its history, culture, rights, identity and, most of all, to its national dignity. I know there are many who will mock these thoughts, and they will base their mockery on “what did we achieve with 34 years of senseless struggle,” but our history is much longer than 34 years. Our struggle is longer than three thousand years. 34 years is nothing but a blink in the history of nations. Nations prevail because they keep the will to struggle.”

Personalizing it on my end, I will note that Vahan and I are of the same generation, although he is younger than I. Both of us attended the same Armenian school in Beirut. I do not think that there is an Armenian, who will comment contrary to the statement he made. But the issue should not be presented with such a statement.

Armenian Evangelical College High School Science Club

What are our national values and character?  

Our national values and character are matters that cannot be summed up in a paragraph or two. But, for the sake of simplification, I will sum it up in a sentence or two. Our national values and character are hinged on our standing by, and upholding the three Rs: Recognition of the genocide and the historical wrong that was done to us; Restitution of what is historically ours but has been usurped from us; Reparation of what cannot be restituted but compensated to help the Armenian nation recover from the mortal wound. 

To further simplify, it is fair and right to note that the crux of our national values and character has two distinct aspects – what we can integrate into state policy, and what we should uphold and retain as individuals. Both are highly demanding commitments. The state has a responsibility for keeping the Republic of Armenia safe and secure in a tumultuous region. The Armenian as an individual has a responsibility to uphold and retain what has been passed to the person through, no less tumultuous long Armenian history.

Regarding the Armenian state, nothing of substance has changed since May 28, 1918 to this very day. To be more precise, from June 4, 1918, seven days after May 28, when Armenia signed the Treaty of Batumi and not long after went to Istanbul and thanked no other than the butcher himself, Talaat Pasha for making the republic of Armenia possible. These are happenings and not interpretations. 

But what has changed is the public outspokenness of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for baring to public the stark reality of the Armenia’s policies to secure Armenia and also his outspoken quest for Armenia’s “prosperity”. I do not need to elaborate on the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan blunt outspokenness. Consider it to be blunt pragmatism. The state of Armenia is continuing to do its job from get-go to this day, by not integrating onto the Armenia’s state policies the 3 Rs – the Recognition, the Restitution, and the Reparation.

As to Armenia’s quest for property, it should not be viewed within the context of Western prosperity. Armenia is an impoverished country. Poverty is endemic in Armenia. Armenia needs to provide bread, in the biblical sense - “give us this day our daily bread” - for sustenance, so that Armenians will be able to make a living and get by to stay put in Armenia and not join Vahan and I in far distant lands.

But regrettably, the individual Armenians and the ad hoc groups of Armenian individuals as cultural, athletic, academic and what not organizations, are failing. 

The individual failing is not only with Armenians. The trend of seeking solutions by the state and from the state, is pandemic, if you will allow me the use the term pandemic.

If we are to retain our republic, we have to know the difference between, what the state of Armenia can integrate in its state policy from what we term as “national values and character”; and what the Armenian individual should retain from the same -  “national values and character” - onto itself. Knowledge is at the fingertips of any one of us. 

The wisdom of knowing the difference of integrating national values and character by Armenia and integrating by Armenians, may help Armenia and Armenians from self-destructive politics. 

 

 

 

The Real Cold-Press Olive Oil of Keurkune

Vaհe H. Apelian 

Today I read in NY Times about the benefits of olive oil and I was reminded of this story I wrote and had it posted in Keghartdotcom in May 2011.

The shelves of the grocery stores are full of “virgin” or “extra virgin” olive oil. Most, if not all of these bottles claim that their content is the result of olives subjected to “cold press” and are bottled after collecting the oil from its “first pass”. I have bought and tasted many in colored fancy bottles. Transparent bottles alter its taste due to oxidation. However, I have yet to come across to one that tasted nearly like the olive oil I tasted in my childhood that came from Nofer Apelian's mangana, in our ancestral Keurkune, Kessab, in Syria. The olive oil was stored then in tin cans that were also the standard containers for storing molasses and for fetching water from the village’s spring on the back of the family’s donkey. I am not sure if mangana is a Turkish word. It may be. However, much like many other Turkish words, it has become part and parcel of Kesbenok the mostly Armenian derived dialect of Kessab. Nofer’s Mangana remains a cherished legacy of a long bygone way of life in Keurkune.

Nofer Apelian established in Keurkune the first and only olive oil press in greater Kessab at a time when sheer human muscle drove the industry. The cold press consisted of a long and large wooden column that rotated on its longitudinal axis, one end of which was at ground level and the other at the ceiling of the two-story building. Nofer, in fact, had removed the ceiling of a room in their house and converted it into the two-story high olive oil press. Their house and consequently the press stood in the center of the village, right across my maternal grandmother’s ancestral house.

If I remember correctly the number, there were three wooden handles that were fastened into this wooden column. Able-bodied young men pressed the wooden handles against their chests, grabbed the handles from underneath with their arms and pushed the column rotating it on its long axis. As the column rotated a thick rope started coiling on it as it lifted a horizontal wooden platform against the stationary one. In between the two platforms, minced olives were layered between burlap bags. The harder the men pushed the more oil oozed out of the minced olives. The whole process was a test of strength under the critical eyes of us kids watching the whole process and shouting out loud who among the men was the strongest and pushed the hardest! I admit though at times our nagging outspokenness raised the rage among some of the men who were pushing and who would not have hesitated to teach us a lesson or two had they been able to catch us fleeing their chase. After the last drop of oil was squeezed the men would alert each other to simultaneously let loose of the central column that now swirled back fast on its axis to release the tension it was subjected to.

That was the second and the last phase of the process. The harvested olives were first washed and then crushed outside in a flat stone mortar upon which a huge round shaped stone wheel was placed. A hole was dug through this large stone along its horizontal axis. Do not ask me how and what kind of tools the villagers used to manually carve such a smooth hole through the middle of this large stone. Through this hole a long wooden handle was placed that had a hole at its far end that went over the central wooden axis in the middle of the mortar. The indispensable and man's most obedient servant ever, the donkey, did the job. Ropes from the wooden handle were attached to the donkey and the donkey thus pooled the stone wheel over the olives to mince it. 

This is how the olive was first crushed

Along with the oil, the process resulted in another bi-product, the remains of the minced olives that Kessabtsis used to prepare one of their tastiest bread ever, Djeftuon Heots, i.e. Djeftuon Bread. As to the word Djeftuon, it is an authentic Kesbenok word whose origin seems to have lost in obscurity.

My mother, many a time, told me the story of one of the Pastors of Keurkune who, to his wonderment and puzzlement, came across a large family sitting cross-legged on the floor around a table. Each member of the family held a loaf of bread under their arm, repeatedly cut morsels out of it and dipped it into a single bowl placed in the center of the ground table and savored it with a mouthwatering voraciousness. It turns out that the family had placed pomegranate molasses in olive oil in the bowl and dipping into it. For those who have tasted the pomegranate molasses made in Kessab can only appreciate the exquisite taste of these two in a bowl when tasted with freshly prepared bread in the family oven.

Those who saw Godfather III may remember the scene when an aging Mafiosi meets a professional assassin to have Don Corleone done with. Before going into the details of the macabre plan, he dips into olive oil and tastes it and utters-“only in Sicily!”. As far as I am concerned, it was only the olive oil from the mangana Nofer Apelian set up in Keurkune in an era long bygone now from our midst. Keurkune has also changed to have any resemblance of the way it was then. Not only my taste buds, but my whole being longs for that real cold press olive oil taste and the way of life that went along with it in the tranquility of the once exclusively Armenian enclave called Keurkune.

*****

P.S.

This story was first published in Keghartdotcom.

The following comments were made:

 

May 12, 2011 at 1:44 am

Mangana

 

You’ve done it again Vahe. Congratulations! What a superb way of describing Keurkune’s long gone olive oil industry and thus preserving it in our archives, not to mention your refreshment of our memories of the delicious taste of freshly baked bread (toniri hats) dipped in freshly squeezed olive oil (dsennoon).

 

Thank you.

Kourken Bedirian.

***

May 12, 2011 at 5:26 am

Hello Vahé, this is an interesting reading

 

Hello Vahé, this is an interesting reading indeed, describing how the world was much closer to nature, the fields, the soil, the community, life.

 

Yes, you’re definitely right in saying that the olive oils today are not what they used to be. Most are now mixed with vegetable oil and contain coloring chemicals too.

 

As for the word Mangana, I’m not sure if it’s Turkish, but they use the word mengene 

 

By the way, do you remember the name of the pastor, whom your mother told you about?

***

May 13, 2011 at 5:15 pm

The Pastor’s Name

 

My mother has lost the mental alertness she had once; she does not remember the name of the pastor mentioned in the article.

However, the name of Rev. Garabed Tilkian was often mentioned in our extended family. The good reverend arranged for my maternal uncle, Antranig Chalabian, and her sister, Zvart (my mother), to continue their education in Aleppo College after graduating from the Keurkune’s school. Both, in their own ways, lived up to Rev. Tilkian’s trust in them–Antranig as a long-time trustee of Armenian Evangelical College High School in Beirut and Zvart as a teacher, for over four decades, in Armenian Evangelical Schools in Keurkune, Kessab, Bourj Hammoud and in LA.

 

It was often said in the family that Keurkune and its twin village Ekiz Olough served as stepping stones for many of the young and upcoming Armenian Evangelical pastors who then continued to carry the torch throughout their lives. It would be interesting if the present young pastor of the twin villages, Rev. Simon DerSahagian, would compile the list of the pastors who served the twin churches.

Vahe H. Apelian

***

May 14, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Olive Press

 

Vahe Apelian’s writings about Kessab evoke memories of my early life in Syria. I first visited Kessab in 1957 as a Homenetmen cub scout, attending summer camp. Later I would visit Kessab several times as did many other Armenians from Aleppo. In his own words, Vahe has created iconic images of life in his ancestral homeland.

***

May 16, 2011 at 9:32 pm

«Mangana» բառն պարսկերեն է:

 

«Mangana» բառն պարսկերեն է: Պարսկերեն արտասանությունը մանգանե է, որընշանակուկ է՝ մամլիչ, մամլակ:

 

Ա. Միրզախանյան

***

July 16, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Armenian Villages

 

Since 1915 we have not read stories which reflect life in Armenian villages. Many years ago, from the US or Canada, a Kessabtsi wrote a story about life in Kesab. The most memorable part was the story of the suffering and fury of their cow, following the death her calf.

 

Kessab and its surroundings are the only Armenian villages outside Armenia. The Kesabtsis today, with their description, bring us closer to the life of Armenian villages, as reflected by Armenian authors, who originated from Armenian villages, before 1915, in Bolis.

 

Vahé, through these stories, Kessab will never be forgotten. So, write more, whatever you remember from your Kesab life. I visited Kesab some years ago. It is great pleasure to be there.

 

We can read these stories with pleasure and interest.

A bible study: Apostle Paul’s Letter to Romans

Deacon Shant Kazanjian’s fifteen-week study of Apostle Pau’s letter to Romans will come to its end, at the end of this month. The online bible study takes place on Wednesday’s evening at 7:30 pm, and is sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church under the auspices of the prelate Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian.  Deacon Shant forwards the week’s reading to the attendees of the study ahead of time.  The attached will be the reading for this Wednesday’s, January 14, 2026, study. I am attaching the excerpt from the Letter he sent to us. Vahe H Apelian

The New Life in Christ

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, [a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual[b] worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, [c] but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. [d]

 

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

 

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.[e] 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; [f] do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;[g] for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Being Subject to Authorities

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; 4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority[h] does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Love for One Another

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

Hyortik: a reflection

Vaհe H. Apelian

Written by Boghos Shahmelikian, translated by Vahe H Apelian

 I owe the lyrics of Hyortik, maybe the signature song of the Five Fingers Band, to Vahig Vartabedian, a musician who was active on the Armenian pop music scene.

The Five Fingers band was made of a group of talented Armenian musicians. I hold Stepan Frounjian as the good will ambassador of the Five Fingers Band who continues to share his talent on the Facebook from Racine, Wisconsin while also serving the Armenian Apostolic Church there as its arch deacon.

I got to know more of the Five Fingers band because I translated Boghos Shahmelikian’s memoir of the band and of the Armenian pop music that suddenly burst onto the Armenian scene in late 1960’s. Those interested to know about the band and the era may read  the book I translated with the help of my cousin Jack Chelebian MD.  The book is titled "Dawn of Armenian Pop Music"

Hyortik is a complex word made of “hie” (Հայ) and “Vorti”, which according to the Nairi dictionary means son, child. We know that the Armenian language does not have different pronouns for males and females. By extension Hyortik may be translated as “Children of Armenians” or “Sons of Armenians.”  in my translation, I used the word son, instead of children. 

The first sentence of the lyrics addresses to “Հայորդիք որ կ՚ապրիք դուք հեռուն” (Sons of Armenians who live far away). 

The lyrics of Hyortic

Who were the children of the Armenians who lived far away? The song urged them not to forget the language, not to assimilate, to learn the Armenian history, to love one another and to uphold each other. 

It is hard to fathom now that that message was for the Armenian youth growing in the west, in the Armenian sense of the designation of the West (Europe, Americas,....). I may even say that they meant to Armenians of their age who lived far from the Armenian community of Lebanon,  Syria in the Middle East, the cradle of the Diaspora Armenian culture. They ended the song by repeating the following two sentences of the lyrics over and over again: "Let's not assimilate, let's love each other. Let's keep our holy honor high." 

The members of the Five Fingers were born and raised in a veritable Armenia outside Armenia, that was the Armenian community of Lebanon. Secure in their Diaspora Armenian homeland of sort, the state of the Armenianness of their brothers and sisters in those faraway lands in Europe, Americas, preoccupied and concerned them, and fired their youthful imagination. It is for them they composed HYORTIK.

But, little did they knew that in a few short years they too will cross oceans and continents and settle on the very same far away real estate that dreaded them once. And, in another twist of fate, I would end up dedicating my translation and publication of Boghos Shahmelikian’s memoir, both of which were a labor of love, to the children of those popular Armenian pop music musicians who changed the landscape of the Armenian pop music, so that their children now may be able to read about their parents in the language they, unlike their parents, are brought up and understand, English.

After some vacillating I decided to add the following concluding paragraph to end my reflection on the one-time popular song by the Five Fingers band. Those in Diaspora, who have something to say as to how best the elected government of Republic of Armenia should govern Armenia, or whether the citizens of Armenia are patriotic enough or not, have their priorities upended.  

A few decades after the release of the Hyortic extolling the Armenian youth in the west,  our own communities in Lebanon and Syria, are now culturally if not existentially threatened.

Wording the lyrics of Hyortik as   a set of questions, it is now a matter of reflection whether the Diaspora as a whole is upholding the lyrics of that song. 

Are we not forgetting our sweet mother tongue?

Are we singing and always talking (Armenian)?

Are we seeing how sweet it is?

We’re few. But are we remaining Armenian?

Are we not forgetting our mother tongue?

Are we endlessly supporting each other?

Are we always holding our nation high?

Are we always high? And are we remaining lofty?

Are we not assimilating? And are we loving each other?

Are we keeping our holy honor high?

As Armenians we live far away (from Armenia)

Are we not forgetting our Armenian history?

Are we telling our children?

Are we teaching our children to know the value of the Armenians?

 

My own morality is the law, I am the government

Vaհe H Apelian

My morality is the law

Who said:         President Donald Trump

When:               On January 8, 2026

What:                  President Trump said that “'My Own Morality' Is 'the Only Thing That Can Stop Me' from World Dominance: 'I Don't Need International Law'

Why:                   The president doubled down on his plans to take military action in Latin America, annex Greenland and do more, in a revealing new interview

I am the government

Who said:          Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

When:               Around August-September 2025.

What:                 He stated that he is the government and that no one in his government could have a differing perspective, threatening dismissal for dissent.

Why:                The prime minister made that statement to implement his vision.

Are president Trump and PM Nikol Pashinyan autocrats?

No, they are not. They may be outspoken.

Both of them have been elected to the position of power by the citizens of their countries. In fact, both of them have been elected to same power, twice. In case of Donald Trump, Americans elected him president twice, on a timed presidential election. The citizens of Armenia elected Nikol Pashinyan as the prime minister twice, but at snap general elections.

Both of them occupy the ultimate power position in their own countries. Any member of their government who has a dissenting view and does not espouse president Donald Trump’s, or prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s vision; may be dismissed. The president and the prime minister have the constitutional authorization to dismiss their government officials. It is no secret that it is said that members of the  of the U.S. Government serve at the pleasure of the president. So, they do in case of the prime minister of Armenia. 

Such is the democratic mandate.

Who reins in and checks their power?

Simplifying matters, in case of president Donald Trump, it is the Republican party that can rein in and check the power of the president who ran on the party’s ticket, by not endorsing a policy in the Congress. Two days ago - January 8, 2026 - the senate advanced a resolution to limit President. Donald Trump's ability to conduct further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. The measure came about because five Republican senators crossed party line and voted with the democrats to rein in and check president Trump’s power. But It is not likely that the measure will pass the congress and become law. Therefore, more likely than not, president Donald Trump will continue to yield constitutional power at his discretion.

In case of prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, it is the Civil Contract party that can rein in and check the power of the prime minister, by not endorsing his policy in the National Assembly. But, the bipartisan divide in Armenia is such that it is not likely that there will be cross over in the National Assembly.  Civil Contract party has 2/3 of the members of the National Assembly. The two opposition parties with their constituents have 1/3 of the delegates but do not have a coherent vision. The prime minister will continue to yield Constitutional power, at his discretion..

What should we voters do?

We, the voters should know what are the policies of the candidate are and have a mental visualization of his character and make our voting choice accordingly. Nikol Pashinyan is a candidate for reelection in the June 2026 election. Nature has run its course on president Trump who will not run again.

The U.S. of America celebrates the 250^th anniversary of its Republic this year. It is the oldest form of government in the modern history. Armenia is forging its democratic process.

"Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all the others that have been tried," is widely attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The next U.S. president and the next prime minister will enjoy the same constitutional privileges. 

The democratic process in the U.S. has not led to a perfect socio-political order, even after 250 years.  The U.S. will always strive to bring about the perfect society and governance, so will Armenia. 

The democratic process does not have a finish line. 

 

 

  

Voices from Aleppo: Aleppo United

Levon Sharoyan, of Sasuntsi parents, is born and raised in Aleppo and remains set foot in Aleppo. He is married to Siran Zkoushian. They are blessed with two daughters.  Levon, is a graduate of the famed Karen Jeppe Jemaran. He is optometrist by profession and is also a lecturer at the Hamazkayin Armenian Studies, at the Seminary in Antelias and teaches Armenian language and literature. He is the author of hundreds of articles as well as several books. I translated his book about Simon Simonian. Levon - see the link below - posted the following on his Facebook page today. Vaհe H Apelian

"It was already expected that this time the state would resolve once and for all, with a decisive step, the thorny issue of the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Magsud neighborhoods, which had been causing constant unrest in the city for more than a decade, worrying us, the citizens. A "state within a state" had taken root there. We always wondered how it could be tolerated that armed illegal groups control two large neighborhoods of a large and important city like Aleppo and indulge in delusional dreams of "autonomy". During the previous regime's day, this issue was not only not resolved, but also gained a wider scope

Yesterday evening, however, the state put its full weight into the public display to resolve the issue. With a very strategic, far-sighted and well-planned move, the military operation to clear those districts began. The SWORD of Alexander the Great had to be shone to clear the impasse. And in a short time, before midnight, it had already become clear that good news would arrive from those districts. All the mosques of Aleppo were raising festive prayers, while at the same time the bells of the churches were ringing. A heavy rain, too -as if a heavenly blessing - cleansed the sky and the streets. All of Aleppo was rejoicing, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the operations, while official sources reported that the army had already achieved the expected success.

Undoubtedly, it is the desire of all of us that Aleppo remain a united and unipolar city. There should be no artificial divisions, illegal checkpoints should be eliminated, and weapons and ammunition should be found ONLY in the palms of the state. Yesterday, a decisive and fateful step was taken, In that direction.

The coming days will be days of restoration and renewal."

Link: Levon Sharoyan: https://www.azad-hye.com/directory/levon-sharoyan/

 

 

 

Բնագիրը՝ ՀԱԼԷՊԸ` ՄԻԱՁՈՅԼ

Կ`ակնկալուէր արդէն, որ այս անգամ պետութիւնը վճռական քայլով մը միանգամընդմիշտ պիտի լուծէր Էշրէֆիէ եւ Շէյխ Մագսուտ թաղաշրջաններու կնճռոտ հարցը, որ աւելի քան տասնամեակէ մը իվեր անհանգստութիւն կը ստեղծէր քաղաքին մէջ, կը մտահոգէր մեզ` քաղաքացիներս։ "Պետութեան մէջ պետութիւն մը" բոյն դրած էր հոն։ Միշտ կը մտածէինք, թէ ինչպէ՞ս կարելի էր հանդուրժել, որ զինեալ ապօրինի խմբաւորումներ վերահսկեն Հալէպի նման մեծ ու կարեւոր քաղաքի մը երկու ընդարձակ թաղաշրջանները ու "ինքնավարութեան" ցնորամիտ երազներու անձնատուր ըլլան։ Նախկին վարչակարգին օրով այս հարցը ո'չ միայն չլուծուեցաւ, այլեւ ստացաւ աւելի' լայն տարողութիւն եւ ծաւալ...

    Երէկ երեկոյեան, սակայն, պետութիւնը իր ամբողջ ծանրութիւնը հրապարակ դրաւ` հանգոյցը լուծելու համար։ Ռազմավարական շատ խոհեմ, շրջահայեաց ու սերտուած ծրագրաւորումով մը` սկիզբ առաւ այդ թաղամասերը մաքրազերծելու պատերազմական գործողութիւնը։ Մեծն Աղեքսանդրի ՍՈ'ՒՐԸ պէտք էր շողացնել` թնճուկը քակելու համար։ Եւ կարճ ժամերու ընթացքին, կէսգիշէրէն առաջ, արդէն յայտնի դարձած էր, թէ լաւ լուրեր պիտի հասնէին այդ թաղամասերէն։ Հալէպի բոլոր մզկիթները տօնական աղօթքներ կը բարձրացնէին, միաժամանակ կը ղօղանջէին եկեղեցիներու կոչնակները...։ Յորդառատ անձրեւ մըն ալ,-- կարծես երկնային օրհնութիւն,-- մաքրեց երկինքն ու փողոցները...։ Ամբողջ Հալէպը կը ցնծար, սրտատրոփ կը սպասէր գործողութեանց ելքին, մինչ պաշտօնական աղբիւրներ կ`աւետէին, թէ բանակը արձանագրած էր արդէն իրմէ ակնկալուած յաջողութիւնը։

    Անկասկած, բոլորիս ցանկութիւնն է, որ Հալէպը մնայ միաձոյլ ու միաբեւեռ քաղաք մը։ Չըլլան արհեստական բաժանումներ, վերացուին անօրինական անցարգելները, զէնք ու զինամթերքը գտնուի ՄԻԱՅՆ ՈՒ ՄԻԱՅՆ պետութեա'ն ափին մէջ։ Այդ ուղղութեամբ, երէկ, առնուեցաւ վճռական ու ճակատագրական քայլը։

   Յառաջիկայ օրերը պիտի դառնան վերականգնումի ու վերաթարմացման օրեր։

Is Nikol Pashinyan outpacing national culture?

Vaհe H Apelian

A friend, who is not an Armenian but has delved in Armenian history and culture, wrote to me saying that he thinks “PM Nikol Pashinyan is trying to remake national culture too quickly.” He also cautiously noted that “democratic leaders, can't get too ahead of the public without losing their mandate.” 

I resorted to asking AI, as a non-human source, presumably not biased, whether PM Nikol Pashinyan is attempting to remake the national culture.

 This is what AI told me. “Yes, Nikol Pashinyan is actively attempting to reshape Armenian national identity and culture through his "Real Armenia" concept, advocating for a shift from historical/mythical aspirations (like Greater Armenia) to a pragmatic focus on the current, internationally recognized Republic of Armenia, even challenging traditional pillars like the Armenian Apostolic Church's influence and promoting secularism to align Armenia with Western modernity, a move causing significant internal debate and opposition.”

Surely, there is a paradigm shift. It may be global. The post WWII presidential norms Harry Truman set, may very well have ended with president Joe Biden and it’s a new era under with Trump. 

Coming to Armenia, of course I did not have to go through the motion of sounding impartial and resorting to AI, when it is obvious and is in plain view that the pm Nikol Pashinyan is attempting to shift our engrained paradigm. Regretfully there is not much of discussion on the mushromming phenomenon, other than shallow partisan comments, as to why the prime minister attempts to reshape the Armenian national identity. 

A short while ago I read a commentary on the matter on the online journal Kaydzag, titled “New Era”. It is that reading that prompted me to note the above introductory remark and attached below, Kaydzag’s commentary in translation. 

                                     ***

                                   " New Era

Armenia and Armenianism have entered a “new era.”

The enmity of a hundred and more years—which has brought, not our age-old enemy, but us, to the brink of destruction—is about to end. The supreme interest of the Armenian people demands this. The situation prevailing in the entire world also demands this.

In the face of this reality, it is absolutely necessary and imperative to completely transform the state of mind and mentality of the Armenian people.

Armenia and Armenianism must (need to) move forward. There is no turning back, no lamentation, no crying and wailing, there should be no occasion or reason to repeat the mistakes of the past.

This is how the Armenian nation can ensure and continue its existence. This is what the countries and nations that suffered great defeats did: the Germans, the Japanese, the Chinese, and many others.

Those who (groups, so-called parties, individuals) insist on clinging to the past are free to do so. They can continue to live immersed in their past customs, habits, and emotion and imagination. However, it is NOT permissible for them to impose their antiquated, false, and even destructive ideas and slogans on the children of the majority Armenian people.

The time for adventurers is over and gone.

Armenia and Armenianism are living a new era.

Thus begin and continue the rise of Armenia and Armenianism.

We enter the New Year with great hopes and expectations. The coming year (and years) will be the wonderful years for the Armenian people's genius. The Armenian people will get rid of and be liberated of their naïve, simple-minded world and will adopt the behavior of a skilled, skillful, inventive diplomat and at all cost, will protect, preserve the Holy of Holies, the STATE INSTITTUIONS and the STATE.

This is how "unity" is conceptualized, understood and explained.

Long live Free and Sovereign Armenia

May "Kaydzag" and similar nationalistic-patriotic platforms continue their patriotic and selfless endeavor.

With best wishes for health.”

 

  ԲՆԱԳԻՐԸ՝  Հայաստանն ու Հայութիւնը թեւակոխած են «նոր դարաշրջան»:

        Հարիւր եւ աւելի տարիներու թշնամանքը,- որը կորստեան սեմին հասցուցած է ո՛չ թէ դարաւոր թշնամին, այլեւ մեզ-. դադրելու վրայ է: Ա՛յդ կը պահանջէ հայ ժողովուրդի գերագոյն շահը: Ա՛յդ կը պահանջէ նաեւ ամբողջ աշխարհի վրայ տիրող իրավիճակը:

        Այս իրականութեան դիմաց խիստ անհրաժեշտ ու հրամայական է ամբողջութեամբ յեղաշրջել հայորդիներու հոգեվիճակն ու մտածելաձւը:

        Հայաստանն ու Հայութիւնը պէտք  (պարտաւոր) են ընթանալու դէպի յառաջ: Ետ դարձ չկա՛յ, վայնասուն, լաց ու կոծ չկա՛յ, անցեալի սխալները գործելու ո՛չ մէկ առիթ եւ պատճառ պէտք է ըլլայ:

        Այսպէս է, որ հայ ազգը կրնայ իր գոյութիւնը ապահովել ու շարունակել: Այդպէս է, որ ըրին մեծ պարտութիւն կրած երկիրներն ու ազգերը՝ գերմանացիները, ճափոնցիները, չինացիները եւ շա՜տ-շատեր:

        Անոնք որոնք (խմբաւորումներ, կուսակցութիւն կոչուածներ, անհատներ) կը յամառին կառչած մնալ անցեալին, ազատ են. կրնան շարունակել ապրիլ իրենց անցեալի բարքով, սովորութիւններով, յուզական եւ երեւակայական դրուագներուն մէջ թաթախուած: Սակայն ԲՆԱ՛Ւ արտօնելի չէ, որ իրենց հնամենի-հնամաշ, կեղծ եւ մինչեւ իսկ քանդիչ միտքերն ու լոզունգները պարտադրեն մեծամասնութիւն կազմող հայ ժողովուրդի զաւակներուն:

        Արկածախնդիրներու ժամանակը սպառած եւ անցած է:

        Հայաստանն ու Հայութիւնը կ՛ապրին նոր ժամանակաշրջան:

        Այսպէս կը սկսի եւ կը շարունակուի Հայաստանի եւ Հայութեան վերելքը:

        Նոր Տարին կը թեւակոխենք Մե՜՜ծ յոյսերով եւ ակնկալութիւններով: Գալիք տարին (եւ տարիները) պիտի ըլլան հայութեան հանճարի հրաշալի տարիները: Հայ Ժողովուրդը պիտի ձերբազատուի ու ազատագրուի իր միամիտ-պարզամիտ-յուզական աշխարհէն եւ պիտի որդեգրէ հմուտ, ճարտար, հնարագէտ դիւանագէտի վարքագիծը եւ ամէն գնով պաշտպանէ-պահպանէ Հայոց սրբութիւն- սրբոց ՊԵՏԱԿԱՆՈՒԹԻՆՆ ՈՒ ՊԵՏՈՒԹԻՒՆԸ:

        Ահաւասիկ այսպէս կ՛իմաստաւորուի ու կը բացատրուի «միասնականութիւն» խորհուրդը:

        Կեցցէ՜ Ազատ եւ ինքնիշխան Հայաստանը

        Թող «Կայծակ»-ն ու նման ազգասէր-հայրենասէր հարթակները շարունակեն իրենց հայրենանուէր եւ ազգանուէր անշահախնդիր աշխատանքը:

Առողջութեան լաւագոյն մաղթանքներով՝