Armenian News-News.am represents the famous singer, Armenian Ambassador in Switzerland Charles Aznavour’s interview at France 2 channel’s “Vivement Dimanche” program, which had caused serious reaction in Turkish media and some circles of Armenia.
In your “From one door to another” book, you say that your problem is the word “genocide”
It’s a word that bothers you, and finally bothers me. What I’ll say now probably will make some Armenians angry with me, however, it’s not tragic. If Turks really have the decency to say that only the word “genocide” bothers them, we will change the word, so that the borders get opened and the Turkish government, I’m not saying the Turks, the Turkish government start thinking about a dialogue with us.
And why it’s so difficult for Turkey to recognize the genocide?
If I’m not mistaken, when we drink we say “to your health”, when Jews drink, they say “to your life”, and when Turks drink, they say “to your honor”. I think the problem is here, we should remind them that honor has two sides and that they should not only protect themselves but also accept the reality.
1.5 million, that’s a huge number for a small country.
1.5 or 2 million. It’s the same. When they kill a child, or 1.5 million Armenians, or 6 million Jews, it’s the same. They’ve killed. They wanted to kill. That is important.
And all these innocent victims are left without a grave.
Yes, it hurts me because in Deir-el-Zor there are places where they still find bones in the sand or in dust.
Earlier the Turkish media distorted the words of Charles Aznavour.
“Every time, when talking about Turkey or Turks, Charles Aznavour tries to speak moderate. In this interview, once again he has tried to distinguish the Turk individuals from the Turkish government, but such a phrase like “the word genocide bothers me” he has never said. Turks have distorted his words. Aznavour has only mentioned that just like the killing of 1.5 million, the killing of one Armenian is also unacceptable for him” said Hilda Chobanyan of Dashnaktsutyun.
