YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The committee for coordinating the Hayrenik-Spyurk cooperation held a conference today at the National Academy of Sciences to mark the 80th anniversary of the Treaty of Sevres to clarify the whole process of this event which was a diplomatic and political milestone.
A salutary message of the prime minister Andranik Markarian was read. All the speakers pointed out that the Treaty was of an exclusive importance for Armenia and despite the fact that Armenian-related clauses did not come true–it marked an exclusive victory of the Armenian diplomacy.
According to Rafael Hambartsumian–the chairman of Nakhichevan Friendly Association–the clauses concerning Armenia were ignored as a result of secret talks between the Bolshies and Turks that resulted in annulling Armenia-related clauses at 1923 in Lozanne.
Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies Nikolay Hovanisian said the Sevres Treaty fixed three very important points – elimination of the Ottoman Empire as a result of which a number of Arab countries got independence–it outlined the territories that should have been passed to Armenia including four villayets or provinces of Erzerum–Van–Bitlis and Trabizon that would open the road to the Black sea. The accomplishment of the last point was put on a commission led by US president Woodrow Wilson. Yet–another clause of the Treaty foresaw creation of Kurdish state–which–according to Harutunian–was also important for Armenia. "Aside from its historic significance–the Treaty has political importance and can benefit Armenia in strengthening its position internationally," he noted.
At the conclusion of the conference–the participants issued a statement of the Hayrenik-Diaspora cooperation coordinating committee which says that the relevant classes of the Sevres Treaty must be made an open-ended means for seeking Hay Dat–Armenian Cause–and to draw the international community’s attention once again–to reconfirm the just rights of the Armenian people and condemn the 1915 genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire.
As we reported earlier–after a group of influential Armenian academicians had issued a letter to prime minister Andranik Markarian urging him to mark the 80th anniversary of the Treaty of Sevres–the prime minister instructed the Yerevan city hall to rename one of the Yerevan streets in memory of Woodrow Wilson.
The treaty was signed by France–Italy–Japan–Greece–Belgium–Poland–Portugal–Romania–Czechoslovakia and Turkey. The document also recognized Armenia’s independence.
The treaty–drawn up by US president Woodrow Wilson and signed by the superpowers at the time–envisioned a 162,000 square kilometer area as Armenia–and included almost all of historic Armenia–Karabakh–Akhalkalak and Nakhichevan.