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SONYA BEDROSYAN: THERE IS NOT A SINGLE ARMENIAN FAMILY THAT DOES NOT HAVE A RELATIVE KILLED IN THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Focus News
April 24 2012
Bulgaria
Sonya Bedrosyan, Chairperson of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
'Parekordzagan' - Sofia (AGBU) , comments on the events organised by
the Armenian community in Bulgaria to mark the 97th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.
FOCUS: Mrs Bedrosyan, how would the Armenian community in Bulgaria
mark the anniversary of the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: On Saturday, April 21, the Limier cinema in Sofia
presented a very interesting and impressive movie. It presented a
historical fact, which many people in the world do not know about.
Thanks to the efforts of our organisation and the contacts we have
established, Missak Keleshian [an Armenian researcher] accepted
our invitation and we had the pleasure to listen to his lecture,
in addition to the movie.
The movie was also presented in Bulgaria's second biggest city
of Plovdiv.
The movie and Mr Keleshian's lecture were widely covered abroad by
Robert Fisk, who is a popular journalist with the Independent.
On April 24, there will be an event, which will be held in front of
the Khachkar Monument in the Yerevan Garden, behind the building of
the Ministry of Agriculture in Sofia. There will be a procession,
which will start from the Armenian House to the monument.
FOCUS: What is the message sent by Mr Keleshian's movie The Cry of
the Orphans and what merely known facts does it reveal?
Sonya Bedrosyan: It is a very interesting movie. Five years ago Mr
Keleshian read a book of a German author, titled the Lions of Marash -
Marash is a region in the former Turkish Armenia. Armenians used to
live in this region. The author tells very interesting and strange
things. He tells about the Antoura College in Beirut, Lebanon, which
is located some 20 minutes away for Keleshian's home. He gets on his
car and goes there. When he arrives, he asks the head of the college
to show him the archives from 1917. The college provides the entire
information it has, including a rich photo collection, and he sees
things, which nobody has seen or heard of before. What he manages to
shoot is what he now presents to the audience.
The materials he studied show that there is a grave of 300 orphans
there, buried in a Muslim manner, without an Armenian liturgy,
without an Armenian cross.
Thanks to him and his work, an Armenian cross - Khachkar, was put
there. It is a very beautiful cross. There was also a liturgy,
following the Armenian traditions.
Since then, the place of the grave has turned into a commemoration
place, visited by many Turks, Armenians and foreign citizens.
What Mr Keleshian shows is a mixture of scenes and frames from the
college where all these things have happened, and where in 1917
Djemal Pasha took 1,000 children, Armenian orphans, and 200 Kurds,
planning to turn them into Muslims.
We do not see anything to be the reason for a riot or negative
consequences neither in the movie, nor in the lecture and the story
itself. These are historical facts, which should be known, since this
thing has happened and it is very interesting, it is something never
shown before.
FOCUS: What is the mark left by the Genocide on the Armenians in the
world, and more precisely, on the Armenians in Bulgaria?
Sonya Bedrosyan: There is not a single Armenian family, which does
not have a relative - a brother, sister or another relative, killed
in the Genocide. At least I do not know of any.
Speaking of my family, two of my aunts were killed on one and the
same day, and my grandfather had to raise their children.
FOCUS: Are there any Bulgarian sources, testifying to the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: There are definitely some historical sources to prove
these events. There are several cities in Bulgaria, which have already
recognised the genocide, but unfortunately Sofia is not one of them. I
hope that some day the entire country will recognise the Genocide.
FOCUS: According to you, why haven't Bulgaria already officially
recognised the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: I guess that one of the reasons is that it is close to
Turkey. In addition, there are still too many facts that are unknown
and that is why we organised this presentation - to show people what
happened in the past and avoid facing such things in the future,
in other countries and other ethnic groups.
FOCUS: What are the relations between Armenia and Turkey today?
Sonya Bedrosyan: The two countries are under negotiations but it is
very hard. The population itself has nothing against the recognition
of the Genocide, but the state has not adopted such a policy. I hope
that some day, this painful issue will be solved with understanding and
good will, there will be a recognition and the souls of the victims
will be relieved, and the relations between the two countries will
start developing in a new way.
From: Baghdasarian
Focus News
April 24 2012
Bulgaria
Sonya Bedrosyan, Chairperson of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
'Parekordzagan' - Sofia (AGBU) , comments on the events organised by
the Armenian community in Bulgaria to mark the 97th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.
FOCUS: Mrs Bedrosyan, how would the Armenian community in Bulgaria
mark the anniversary of the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: On Saturday, April 21, the Limier cinema in Sofia
presented a very interesting and impressive movie. It presented a
historical fact, which many people in the world do not know about.
Thanks to the efforts of our organisation and the contacts we have
established, Missak Keleshian [an Armenian researcher] accepted
our invitation and we had the pleasure to listen to his lecture,
in addition to the movie.
The movie was also presented in Bulgaria's second biggest city
of Plovdiv.
The movie and Mr Keleshian's lecture were widely covered abroad by
Robert Fisk, who is a popular journalist with the Independent.
On April 24, there will be an event, which will be held in front of
the Khachkar Monument in the Yerevan Garden, behind the building of
the Ministry of Agriculture in Sofia. There will be a procession,
which will start from the Armenian House to the monument.
FOCUS: What is the message sent by Mr Keleshian's movie The Cry of
the Orphans and what merely known facts does it reveal?
Sonya Bedrosyan: It is a very interesting movie. Five years ago Mr
Keleshian read a book of a German author, titled the Lions of Marash -
Marash is a region in the former Turkish Armenia. Armenians used to
live in this region. The author tells very interesting and strange
things. He tells about the Antoura College in Beirut, Lebanon, which
is located some 20 minutes away for Keleshian's home. He gets on his
car and goes there. When he arrives, he asks the head of the college
to show him the archives from 1917. The college provides the entire
information it has, including a rich photo collection, and he sees
things, which nobody has seen or heard of before. What he manages to
shoot is what he now presents to the audience.
The materials he studied show that there is a grave of 300 orphans
there, buried in a Muslim manner, without an Armenian liturgy,
without an Armenian cross.
Thanks to him and his work, an Armenian cross - Khachkar, was put
there. It is a very beautiful cross. There was also a liturgy,
following the Armenian traditions.
Since then, the place of the grave has turned into a commemoration
place, visited by many Turks, Armenians and foreign citizens.
What Mr Keleshian shows is a mixture of scenes and frames from the
college where all these things have happened, and where in 1917
Djemal Pasha took 1,000 children, Armenian orphans, and 200 Kurds,
planning to turn them into Muslims.
We do not see anything to be the reason for a riot or negative
consequences neither in the movie, nor in the lecture and the story
itself. These are historical facts, which should be known, since this
thing has happened and it is very interesting, it is something never
shown before.
FOCUS: What is the mark left by the Genocide on the Armenians in the
world, and more precisely, on the Armenians in Bulgaria?
Sonya Bedrosyan: There is not a single Armenian family, which does
not have a relative - a brother, sister or another relative, killed
in the Genocide. At least I do not know of any.
Speaking of my family, two of my aunts were killed on one and the
same day, and my grandfather had to raise their children.
FOCUS: Are there any Bulgarian sources, testifying to the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: There are definitely some historical sources to prove
these events. There are several cities in Bulgaria, which have already
recognised the genocide, but unfortunately Sofia is not one of them. I
hope that some day the entire country will recognise the Genocide.
FOCUS: According to you, why haven't Bulgaria already officially
recognised the Genocide?
Sonya Bedrosyan: I guess that one of the reasons is that it is close to
Turkey. In addition, there are still too many facts that are unknown
and that is why we organised this presentation - to show people what
happened in the past and avoid facing such things in the future,
in other countries and other ethnic groups.
FOCUS: What are the relations between Armenia and Turkey today?
Sonya Bedrosyan: The two countries are under negotiations but it is
very hard. The population itself has nothing against the recognition
of the Genocide, but the state has not adopted such a policy. I hope
that some day, this painful issue will be solved with understanding and
good will, there will be a recognition and the souls of the victims
will be relieved, and the relations between the two countries will
start developing in a new way.
From: Baghdasarian