“IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO ANALYZE THOROUGHLY THE LESSONS OF THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST ARMENIAN REPUBLIC”: YSU RECTOR

The conference was organized by the Department of Armenian Studies and Social Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences and Yerevan State University with the support of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. It should be noted that the conference will continue its work on May 26 at YSU Academic Council session hall, where Yervand Pambukyan’s book “Aram Manukyan's Letters” will be presented.

During the two-day international conference, about 70 reports will be made by the scientists from Armenia, USA, Germany, Russian Federation and Georgia.

The topics of the conference are the historical and political preconditions of the proclamation of the Republic of Armenia, the May heroic battles, the state-legal structure and internal life of the First Republic of Armenia, the foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia, the Treaty of Sevres, 1920 Turkish - Armenian War and the circumstances of the collapse of the First Republic of Armenia, the Educational Life and Fiction Literature in the First Republic of Armenia, the First Republic of Armenia in Artistic Works.

Let us note that Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I and RA Minister of Diaspora Mkhitar Hayrapetyan sent congratulatory messages to the participants of the conference.

President of NAS RA Radik Martirosyan, RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan, Academician-Secretary of the Division of Armenian Studies and Social Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences Yuri Suvaryan, Rector of Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan, Director of the Institute of History of the Tbilisi University of Georgia Giorgy Jeishvili made welcoming speeches at the opening of the conference.

According to Academician Radik Martirosyan, President of the National Academy of Sciences, owing to the May battles it became possible to frustrate the Turkish program of the final extermination of the Armenian people and to proclaim the Republic of Armenia.

According to him, the first Republic of Armenia was born in hard conditions, on just 12 thousand square kilometers, but it gradually grew stronger and expanded.

The first session of the first Armenian parliament was opened in Yerevan on August 1. On December 26, 1919, the parliament adopted an important decision on recognizing the Armenian language as state language. The coat of arms of the republic was confirmed and the patriotic song “Our Homeland”. The process of the formation of the Armenian army succeeded. We established diplomatic relations with neighboring and others countries.

During the two and a half years of the statehood the Armenian people had a serious progress. After a long break, the Armenian statehood was restored, repatriation began, authorities were established, a strong army, a democratic system of governance for the time, and the consciousness and feeling of statehood strengthened among the people.

Though the republic fell, but its existence did not go unnoticed. On its basis, the Bolsheviks created a new republic - Soviet Armenia, during which about 70 years of history the Armenian people experienced a great economic and cultural progress. In fact, Soviet Armenia, which was created on the basis of the first republic, but in the conditions of a completely different administrative-political system, also prepared a basis for the formation of the third independent republic. This is the historical symbolism of May battles in 1918 and declaration of independence,” - said Academician Radik Martirosyan, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

According to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan, after a long break the Armenian people regained their statehood and today the Armenian people continue to show that it is viable and should continue its enlargement, ensuring the immigration of Armenians around the world to Armenia which should become one of the first steps for us.

“And our newly established government should make every effort to make the Armenian statehood an important destination for a new future for the Armenians worldwide. Dear Compatriots, at this important stage of the Armenian statehood, we highly appreciate this event organized at the National Academy of Sciences and attaching importance to the Diaspora-Artsakh-Armenia trinity, I would like to express my pleasure on behalf of our government that our steps should be aimed at the involvement of Armenians living worldwide,” said S. Papikyan.

Academician-Secretary of the Department of Armenian Studies and Social Science of the National Academy of Sciences Yuri Suvaryan noted that the period of the First Republic of Armenia was small, but it had a great significance: “It became a basis for the Soviet Armenia and the Third Republic of Armenia. The first Republic of Armenia was created thanks to the political will of the Armenian people and had a grandiose role in the future for the establishment of the Armenian statehood,” - he added.

Rector of Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan mentioned in his welcoming speech that the re-establishment of the Armenian statehood has been a milestone in the life of our people. These days, when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of that event, we focus on not only the history and events of those days, but also our entire history.

“In my opinion, it is very important for us to understand the lessons of history of the First Republic of Armenia well, because the Armenians living in their homeland have always been and are still in a complicated geopolitical space. The Armenian government and the political forces have to carry out a comprehensive and justified domestic and foreign policy arising from this reality.

There is another instructive lesson that is very important to us. I think that the broader propaganda of the Armenian national idea and the goals set out there should be seen by national and political, non-governmental organizations, scholars, literary and cultural figures and, of course, Armenian historians as a priority. I attach great importance to the ongoing conferences, which relate to the history of the First Republic of Armenia,” - added YSU Rector.

According to the Director of the Institute of History of Tbilisi University of Georgia Giorgi Jeishvili, freedom is the greatest value that we have gained and accumulated from the ancestors, it is the basis of our identity, the guarantee of our development and ultimately the most important condition for living in a civilized world.

“For centuries Georgians and Armenians have had an independent state, many of our enemies have seen us much stronger than we think, we have never tolerated the yoke of conquerors. Today’s Armenia and Georgia are the descendants of the first republics, so today Armenians and Georgians celebrate the 100th anniversary of their independence. 100 years show that we have to take into account the lessons of the past to build the future,” - said the speaker.

Richard Hovhannisyan, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, YSU Rector Aram Simonyan and Mikhail Hayazyan, who arrived abroad from the conference, came up with reports on the proclamation of the Republic of Armenia and the 100th anniversary of the May battles.

YSU Rector Aram Simonyan made a report titled “The Battle of Zangezur in 1918-1921: struggle for statehood protection”. He first of all touched upon the historical facts of Zangezur survival and mentioned what lessons we can see from the struggle of Zangezur and the First Republic of Armenia.

“The first lesson is that we must clearly understand that the best our value is the Armenian nation and every aspect of strengthening our statehood should be anchored on this basis. Second, Armenia should have such an economic system that will contribute to the strengthening of all parts of the country, especially special attention should be pain on the parts of the republic, which have borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Third, Armenians should always remember that the main guarantor of civilization and the main condition for the security of our people is to have a strong army. Fourth, the events of the First Republic and Zangezur came to prove the simple truth that victory in the war is not conditioned by the number of soldiers and military equipment of the sides, the moral spirit, patriotism and devotion to their homeland and people is not less necessary. The Armenian people value the independent statehood for which many victims have been sacrificed,” - he added.