Letter to the Editor | Helpless

Berdzor, Artsakh, 2018 (Photo: Varak Ghazarian)

Feeling silenced. Feeling like we have no control. It is not a matter of not having control, but rather an issue of not being organized around a united ideology. Of course, we will not have control if every person is out doing something without any unified organization. If we look back to 2018, it felt as if we were in control and were leaders of our own destiny. Why was that? Because everyone was unified in getting rid of the old corrupt Armenian governance and creating a new, democratic and free Armenia. Now, we must take advantage of that same ideology to rid the government that has given up on Artsakh to create a stronger, more unified Armenia. 

Enough of feeling powerless, of feeling we are helpless. We must all stand together to strengthen Armenia because the repercussions of the current government will be grand and long-lasting. They have created a fragile Armenia, incapable of withstanding the military presence surrounding us. Plenty of Armenians are tired of fighting for Artsakh and do not believe we should shed any more blood for Artsakh. However, they are dangerously wrong simply because Artsakh is Armenia and full of Armenians. Secondly, without Artsakh, Armenians will now be fighting on “Armenian” soil. Azerbaijan will continue its aggression, as it has indicated with its decade-long rhetoric of claiming Armenian lands such as Yerevan, Gegharkunik and Syunik to be Azerbaijani. That constitutes the majority of the Armenian population and a vast chunk of Armenia. It will not stop with Artsakh. Rather, it will only be the beginning of a much more dire situation for Armenians. It is time to wake up, unite and take control of our lives and our motherland. 

Armenians around the globe must unite under the common ideology of creating a stronger Armenia – an Armenia that will be able to withstand its invaders on its own through the creation of a military-industrial complex and the establishment of strong military allies. As for the common Armenian, in Armenia or the Diaspora, we all have our part to play in strengthening Armenia. We must identify how our skillsets can apply to the homeland and begin applying those skills with tangible work on the ground. We must connect with organizations on the ground in Armenia (Birthright Armenia, Repat Armenia, etc.) as there are plenty in nearly all fields and demand how we can be of assistance.

June 2, 2023

Varak Ghazarian

Varak Ghazarian

Varak Ghazarian is an Armenian-American from Los Angeles who attended a Armenian school his entire life. Upon his graduation from UC Berkeley, he volunteered in Armenia for year with Birthright Armenia. He spent time in Artsakh for a month, where he mentored teenagers in border villages about fundamental topics of health. He currently lives in Armenia, which has opened up a door of imagination that was closed off elsewhere.
Varak Ghazarian

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1 Comment

  1. And now, to add insult to injury, a few Armenian clergy in Jerusalem have decided to sell off a large part of the ancient Jerusalem Armenian Quarter to a real estate developer. Check out the article about this situation in the Boston Globe.

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