The Armenian genocide

Yerevan, with Mt Ararat in background

A few weeks back I was in Armenia for meetings with staff.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of World Vision's work in Armenia.  The program first commenced in 1988 in response to a large earthquake impacting the northern city of Gyumri and other parts of the country.  Since then World Vision's activities in Armenia have grown and transitioned to a longer term development focus, with projects in areas of health, education, child protection and economic development.  The majority of these activities are implemented in partnership with communities, Government and also churches.

Genocide memorial in Yerevan

As a country Armenia faces many challenges, with a declining population, high levels of poverty, limited economic growth and a 'frozen' conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.  To this day there are many more Armenians living outside the country than within.  Accurate numbers vary, but it is estimated that there approximately 10 million Armenians worldwide, but of this number only 3 million actually live in Armenia itself. Reasons for the Armenian diaspora are complex, but can be attributed largely to a defining event in the nation's history during the First World War - the Armenian Genocide.  Between 1915-1923, the Turkish Government sought to remove Armenian people from the Ottoman Empire.  Millions of Armenians were either forcibly removed or killed during this period, and the event is collectively referred to as the Armenian Genocide.  To this day Turkey has not acknowledged the genocide, and issues of formal recognition of the genocide remain highly contentious with governments around the world.  Earlier this year, the NSW parliament in Australia passed a bill recognising the Armenian genocide, and there have been ongoing diplomatic issues since with Turkey, as shown in this news article.

Eyes that witnessed the genocide: the survivors
still alive today

Regardless of the technicalities of recognition, the genocide remains a defining feature of Armenia's national identity, both for those within in the country and also the diaspora around the world.  Whilst in Yerevan a few weeks back, a colleague took me to visit the genocide memorial that sits above the city.  It was a sobering experience, and one that gave me a better appreciation and perspective of what actually occurred during the genocide period and in the following years.

In some ways Armenia feels like a country that is frozen by its past, but also struggling to find a way forward.  The country also continues to walk a tightrope between Russian and European influence, and no doubt many are closely watching current developments in the Ukraine, and assessing implications for other former Soviet republics who may be leaning closer towards Europe.

Photo exhibition in Yerevan downtown
for World Vision's 25 years in Armenia

Map showing the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory
between Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan