YEREVAN. – The Armenian Genocide is not over; the “white massacre,” that is, the destruction of an entire layer of culture, continues, said turkologist Anush Hovhannisyan at a press conference on Thursday.

In her words, pressures are exerted in Turkey toward the identity of the Armenians.

“Why are they [i.e. the Turks] destroying cultural monuments? Because, in this way, they are cleaning up the traces that can serve as a basis for our [i.e. the Armenians’] demands in the future,” Hovhannisyan stressed. “Each criminal wants to clean up the traces of his crime.”

On the other hand, as per the turkologist, by appropriating the cultural treasures of an ethnic group that was subjected to genocide, the Turks legitimize their actions; that is, their “right” to enjoy the “fruits” of genocide.

In Hovhannisyan’s view, however, in terms of “cultural genocide,” it is very difficult to prove that a monument was deliberately destroyed; that is to say, by the order of the authorities.

“We need to be consistent in such cases,” Anush Hovhannisyan stated. “We must react to each such incident by utilizing the international organizations.”