The Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received a group of Yerevan State University students. The Minister rejected the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet’s account of how she had addressed Armenians in Bolis (Istanbul). According to the paper, the Minister referred to the people there as “Diaspora Armenians”
“Bolsahay Community* and others who live outside of Armenia were used when addressing them. All meetings and talks are recorded in video and audio form. I’m sure that Hurriyet thought I was going to say Diaspora because I’m a Minister of Diaspora from Armenia.
The Minister stated that in the last two years, the Ministry has been active in five key areas with a pan-Armenian significance. She emphasized, “Karabakh is the first field of action. Every day, Karabakh gives blood. Every day, the borders of Karabakh are painted in the color of blood.
The remaining four concerns are: Genocide recognition and condemnation, resistance to assimilation in the Diaspora, safeguarding of Armenian language, culture, and religion. These fundamental problems have no room for disagreement among Armenians, she added.
The pupils asked questions. Minister Hakobyan responded to a question on the French Parliament’s Genocide law with the following: “There are nations that may misuse this to achieve an end, to take advantage of the Armenian factor as a way to apply pressure.”
The students advised the Minister to develop Armenian learning software. At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Hakobyan urged the pupils to rely on themselves in terms of study and job success rather than on friends or relatives, and to reach genuine knowledge.
