Yerevan calls for separating cultural memory from state policy toward neighboring countries
Secretary of Armenia's Security Council Alen Simonyan, speaking at the Second Global Armenian Summit, stated that Armenian songs, poems, and literary works that mention the so-called "Western Armenia" (the territory of Turkey – ed.) must remain part of the national culture, but should not be turned into the basis of modern state policy.
According to him, the study of history is necessary above all in order to understand past mistakes, Armenian media write.
"They (songs, poems, works – ed.) exist, they are part of our culture. It is another matter if you turn this into a national political idea. There is no need to do anything with them. (…) This is ours, and there is no dispute here. Another question is what you invest in this and what you see behind it," Simonyan said.
He emphasized the need to separate cultural memory from political narratives that hinder the normalization of relations with neighboring countries: "We must continue to study history. After all, history is needed in order to look at the mistakes we have made and not repeat them."
As an example, Simonyan pointed to double standards regarding historical and geographical names and cultural claims against neighbors. Simonyan asked why Armenians react painfully when someone calls Lake Sevan by its Azerbaijani name Goycha, or when Yerevan is called Erivan, yet they themselves can approach Georgians with statements that their alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots.
"Why do we do this? I want to understand. If an Armenian comes to Georgia, he considers it his duty to approach a Georgian and say: 'And do you know that your alphabet was written by Mesrop Mashtots?' Why do we do this? It is the same logic. We need to understand what we want from others and what we expect from them," he noted.
Simonyan also criticized the notion of present-day Armenia as a "temporary stage": "We shed blood, we fought, we proclaimed independence – and at the same time we are constantly looking for a homeland: 'And where is this homeland?' Have we all this time been living in our own country as if we were temporary tenants renting an apartment? As if Russia is about to come, things will get worse in Turkey, and we will return and win everything back?" the Security Council secretary said.
He called talk about "historical lands" futile: "When you ask such people: 'All right, and what is the Republic of Armenia? Where is it? Which Armenia exactly?', conversations begin that lead nowhere. These are conversations about statelessness. We were driven into this cycle so that we would not come out of it, so that we would constantly remain dependent."
In conclusion, Simonyan called for valuing real statehood and not devaluing the existence of the Republic of Armenia for the sake of hypothetical territorial ambitions.
