ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM DIRECTOR HAYK DEMOYAN DELIVERS LECTURE ON MUSEUM ACTIVITIES AND ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS
On Saturday the 13th of March 2010, the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan, Mr. Hayk Demoyan, gave the Armenian Cypriot community a detailed and highly informative lecture on the history and activities of the Genocide Museum and on the possible consequences of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols signed last year. The lecture, which also included a slide-show presentation of photographs and newly-acquired material, took place in front of around 120 community members and was organised by the Kalaydjian Foundation under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Varoujan.
In his speech Mr. Demoyan listed the various milestones in the history of the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum at “Tsitsernakabert” in Yerevan, and explained that a large-scale expansion of the Museum’s facilities is planned in the near future, which will allow for a better and more effective display of recently-acquired material. He also stated that numerous foreign heads of state had visited the Museum in recent years and signed the Visitors Book. Mr. Demoyan also stressed the importance of the Museum’s new “Bedros and Aram Kalaydjian Collection”, which comprises rare books, original period postcards and newspapers, maps and other items that relate directly to the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 and which was acquired by the Museum during the last two years. These items will officially be put on display next month and it is the Museum’s intention to send them abroad as a temporary exhibition entitled “The Armenian Genocide: Frontpage Coverage”.
Mr. Demoyan then expanded his speech to include the subject of the Protocols that were signed by Armenia and Turkey last autumn. He stressed that the Protocols do not call for the creation of a commission tasked with examining whether the Genocide actually took place or not. The Armenian Government’s position on this, he said, has always been very clear, namely that any commission formed as a result of the Protocols would deal solely with the consequences of the Genocide and how those consequences can be overcome.
Recently published books by Mr. Demoyan were also presented to the Armenian community. The lecture then concluded with a question and answer session and was followed by a cocktail reception.
The Committee of the Kalaydjian Foundation
