Armenians across the United States react to Turkey-Armenia protocols

10,000 gather to protest in Glendale

AGBU is supportive

by Armenian Reporter staff

Published: Thursday October 01, 2009

Armenian- Americans gathered in Glendale, Calif., on September 27, 2009, to protest the terms of the deal on the normalization of relations negotiated between Armenia and Turkey.

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Some 10,000 Armenian-­Americans came together in Glendale, Calif., on September 27 to protest the terms of the agreement negotiated between Armenia and Turkey on the normalization of relations. The rally was organized jointly by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Social Democratic Hunchakian Party, the Armenian Democratic Liberal (Ramgavar) Party, and the Unified Young Armenians. Representatives of all the parties made speeches stating that the terms of the agreement were "unacceptable" to the Armenian people.

Meanwhile, in New York, representatives of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, and the Armenian Assembly of America met with Armenia's foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian, who was in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. According to the press office of the Foreign Ministry, Mr. Nalbandian and the representatives of the organizations discussed the Armenia-Turkey talks in some detail.

After a dinner for Mr. Nalbandian at the Diocesan Center, Sarkis Jebejian, a member of the AGBU's Central Board of Directors, said, "The AGBU stands ready to assist the government in any way necessary, and calls upon the entire diaspora to unite in support of this complex and important mission."

Meanwhile, Armenia's President Serge Sargsian prepared to leave for a tour of major diaspora communities. The president was expected to arrive in the United States on October 3 where he would meet with representatives of Armenian-American organizations in New York and Los Angeles. No public events had been announced.

On September 24 in Washington, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans took part in a town hall meeting, "Turkey-Armenia Protocols: The Facts and the Long-term Implications," organized by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Ambassador Evans made several comments throughout the program, using the terms "flawed" and "shoddy work" to refer to the protocols negotiated between Turkey and Armenia. Mr. Evans said that while he welcomed the proposed opening of the borders and establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, he felt that the protocols did not contain the proper ­diplomatic language. He added that any diplomatic agreement could be altered or reversed.

At the  rally in Glendale on September 27, the protestors shouted, "No Concessions to Turkey" and "No to Protocols." The speakers, which included Aroutin Haroutunyan of the United Young Armenians, Minas Kojayan of the Ramgavar party, Harout Der Tavidian of the Hunchakian Party, and Avedik Izmirlian of the ARF, found that the protocols granted Turkey almost everything it had sought in vain from Armenia for the last 17 years in exchange for ending its blockade, and stated that conceding to Turkish blackmail was unacceptable.

The keynote speaker at the rally, columnist and USArmenia TV personality Harut Sassounian outlined what he considered to be the dangers contained in the protocols.

In concluding remarks, Hovan Tashjian of the ARF read out a resolution that called for an immediate suspension of Armenia-Turkey talks under the current terms. With applause and cheers, the protest participants demonstrated their support for the resolution.