On Saturday, 19 September 2020, an online forum took place, jointly organized by the Armenakan-Hovsepyan Club of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party of New York-New Jersey and the Dro Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of New Jersey. The event consisted of two sessions — the first in Armenian, which took place at 12:00, and the second in English at 17:00.
The Armenian session, moderated by Mr. Norayr Mkrtchyan, featured the participation of: historian, academician, and director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Prof. Ashot Melkonyan; historian and lecturer at the INALCO Institute in Paris, Prof. Talin Der Minasyan; as well as historian, lecturer, and director of the Armenian Question and Genocide department of the Institute of History of Armenia, Prof. Armen Marukyan.
In the English session, moderated by Mr. Andranik Gasparyan, speeches were delivered by the renowned historian and emeritus professor at UCLA and Chapman universities, Prof. Richard Hovhannisyan, and the distinguished philosopher, vice-director of Worcester University and of the Genocide Scholars’ Association, Prof. Henry Theriault.
According to the first speaker of the Armenian session, Prof. Melkonyan, the Treaty of Sèvres undeniably recognizes the existence of Western Armenia, which is the cornerstone of our national claims. The next speaker was Prof. Der Minasyan. She addressed the articles of the treaty concerning the borders of Western Armenia and noted that today Kurds and Armenians claim the same lands. Der Minasyan added that the Treaty of Sèvres gave a Western orientation to Armenia’s diplomacy. The last speaker was Prof. Marukyan, who addressed the political-legal issues of the Treaty of Sèvres. He added that the Treaty of Lausanne did not negate the articles of the Treaty of Sèvres pertaining to Armenia, and that the two treaties are completely different in their content.
In the English session, Prof. Hovhannisyan focused on the treaty’s historical context. He presented Sèvres in the light of the geopolitical rivalry among the allied powers. Concluding his remarks, he considered Sèvres a moral victory for the Armenian people, which, however, is probably not applicable today. Prof. Theriault was optimistic about the Treaty of Sèvres, particularly the borders drawn by Wilson, which gave Armenia an outlet to the Black Sea while expanding Armenia’s territory. He made a comparison regarding the claims of other oppressed peoples similar to the Armenians, concluding that some have been able to obtain reparations successfully.
More than 300 people participated in the online forum via the Zoom program. Meanwhile, through a Facebook livestream, about 900 people were able to follow the event. Participants were not only from the USA, but also from Canada, South America, Greece, Egypt, France, Lebanon, Armenia, Russia, and elsewhere. It is worth noting that Prof. Talin Der Minasyan’s lecture was recorded in front of the khachkar placed in front of the building of the Treaty of Sèvres (currently the National Museum of Ceramics of France).
In closing, let us add that in the autumn, a third and final extended session will take place. That session will include Armenian and foreign historians, to study the claims of other peoples (for example, the Kurds) from the Treaty of Sèvres.
ARF-ADL Committee for the 100th Anniversary of the Treaty of Sèvres
