By Aida Hovhannisyan

Andranik Agopian has moved from Ethiopia to France in 1974. He changed many jobs helping his ill father to earn his living. Today Andranik has his own dental clinics in Marseille. The Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent talked to Mr. Agopian about his Armenian roots, Armenian community of Marseille and Armenia-France relations.

Mr. Agopian, tell me about your family. Who are your grandparents? Are they Armenian Genocide survivors?

I was born in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). My father was an orphan of the Genocide, he was born in Geyvé, a village in Nicomedia province, near Adabazar. He lost his parents and was saved with his little brother by the Near East Relief, they were sent to Corfu in Greece. Then my father went to Canada, and his brother Stepan stayed in Corfu. My father lost him, he has been searching for 40 years, but in vain. When he was 17 his uncle who survived the Genocide found him because of a photo in an Armenian newspaper. They lived in France before they left for Ethiopia, while another uncle was there after the massacres of 1894-1896. My mother's parents were from Aintab in Cilicia, they arrived in Deir ez-Zor,  and to Beirut in Lebanon. Later they migrated to Ethiopia where I was born.

What did your father tell about Armenian Genocide? Did he speak about it, about their sufferings?

My father spoke little, but when he was searching his brother, I understtod much. I went to an Armenian school, Azgayin Kévorkoff Varjarin from kindergarden to primary school. Then I came to Paris to study in Samuel Moorat College in Sèvres near Paris. In 1974 after the Ethiopian Revolution they took everything that belonged to the Armenians and expelled us.

I came to Yerevan when I was ten invited by the Soviet Amassador to Ethiopia. I lived in a pioneer camp in Yerevan and Tsakhkadzor for a month. After exile from Ethopian where my father lost everything, we came to Marseilles.

What was your family doing in Marseille? How did you live?

I am dental surgeon and in 1983 I founded "Azadakroutioun" – an association for political recognition of Armenian People's National Rights. I worked for the recognition of the Genocide but also to defend political prisoners such as Stepan Zadikian or Paruyr Hayrikyan. After the independance of Armenia we stopped political action and transformed "Azadakroutioun" to an association for cooperation and aid to Armenia. We sent 200 tons of medical assistance after the earthquake of 1988. With our assistance 60 children were brought to France for medical care.

I was a journalist for the Armenian magazine 'Armenia' and 'France-Arménie', as well as for Jewish Radio JM.

Mr. Agopian, what are you doing now? Do you have contact with Armenia?

Yes, I continue to be in contact with Markarian Maternity that I helped. I was in Yerevan last October to mark ten years since the first babies were born with IVF in Armenia. I keep in touch with many politicians, medical workers, many friends, because with the medical and cultural cooperation I have more than 1,000 friends and the problem is that I can't see everyone when I come to Armenia because of time.

Mr. Agopian, France is one of the countries that does much for recognition of the Armenian Genocide. How does Armenian community in France help it?

There are many associations (too much) in every city where there are Armenians and each one works to lobby for the Genocide. France recognized the Genocide in 2001, but did not criminalize the crime of genocide. The Turkish Diaspora is also working against us, Hollande promised to do something but I think that the European Court's decision in the Perincek case will give us a chance. I think that every day a new Turkish intellectual recognizes the reality and writes articles, books. We will win with the Turks, because many do not want to continue lying . I am optimistic, the Turks will be the real motor of changing Turkey's policy.

Do you have any information whether a delegation from Marseille is planning to come to Armenia on April 24? And what about Armenians? Are we going to see many Armenians from Marseiile on in Yerevan on that day?

Of course, I think that at least three organisations are programming visits in April and hundreds others individually will come there. Personally I don't know yet, because I will be perhaps in Turkey but I haven't decided already.

Tell me about Armenians living in Marseille? How many Armenians live there?

Armenians make ten percent of Marseille's population, 150,000 live in the region. The first ones are the children of those who survived the Genocide and arrived in 1920-1925, after the migrations from eastern countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Syria. Armenians started moving here from Armenia 20 years ago.