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Western Armenia Government in Exile

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"State of Armenia" redirects here. For the modern sovereign state, see Armenia.
Republic of Western Armenia
State of Armenia
Արևմտյան Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն
Arevmtyan Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun Հայաստան պետության
Hayasdan bedutʿyan
Flag
Coat of arms
Anthem: Zartnir Lao[1][2]
Զարթի՛ր, լաօ
"Awake my son"
CapitalKarin[3][4] (Erzurum)
Government
• President
Lydia Margossian,[5] Radik Khamoyan,[6] and Martik Gasparyan[7]
• Prime Minister
Seda Melikyan[8]
and Tigran Pashabezyan[9]
• President of the National Assembly
Nelly Harutyunyan[10] and Armen Ter-Sarkisyan[11]
LegislatureNational Assembly
Establishment
860 BC–590 BC
321 BC–428 AD
880s–1045
1080–1375
1878
1915–1917
1915–1918
1918
1920
1920
• Beginning of the establishment process
2011
Website
parliament-wa.info

The Republic of Western Armenia, also known as the State of Armenia,[12][13][14] is a government-in-exile claiming sovereignty over parts of the Armenian highlands including sections of Western Armenia as well as Nagorno–Karabakh, and Nakhichevan.[15] The self-declared country says it has its own presidency, government, parliament, constitution, national anthem, and coat of arms.[16]

The individuals of the Republic of Western Armenia claim to be the legal successor of the Armenian state recognised by international law in 1920, and therefore internationally recognised.[17][18]

Background

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The presence of Armenians in Anatolia has been documented since the sixth century BCE, about 1,500 years before the arrival of Turkmens under the Seljuk dynasty.[19][20]

In the 16th and 17th centuries, historical Armenia was divided between the Ottomans taking the West and the Safavids taking the East.

On the eve of World War I in 1914, around two million Armenians lived in Anatolia out of a total population of 15–17.5 million.[21] According to the Armenian Patriarchate's estimates for 1913–1914, there were 2,925 Armenian towns and villages in the Ottoman Empire, of which 2,084 were in the Armenian highlands in the vilayets of Bitlis, Diyarbekir, Erzerum, Harput, and Van.[22] Armenians were a minority in most places where they lived, alongside Turkish and Kurdish Muslim and Greek Orthodox Christian neighbors.[21][22] According to the Patriarchate's figure, 215,131 Armenians lived in urban areas, especially Constantinople, Smyrna, and Eastern Thrace.[22] Although most Ottoman Armenians were peasant farmers, they were overrepresented in commerce. As minorities, despite the wealth of some Armenians, their overall political power was low, making them especially vulnerable.[23] The ethnic cleansing of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is widely considered a genocide, The Ottoman Empire massacred approximately 600,000–1,500,000 Armenians. The first wave of persecution was in the years 1894 to 1896, the second one culminating in the events of the Armenian genocide in 1915 and 1916.

History

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On 17 December 2004, the "Declaration of the right of self-determination of the Armenians from Western Armenia" was signed in Shushi; which by extension also established the National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia.[24][25][18]

On 4 February 2011, the establishment of the government-in-exile of Western Armenia was announced, and on 21 October 2011, the constitution, flag, coat of arms and anthem were all adopted.[18] In November 2013, the National Assembly of Western Armenia was formed; whose deputies at the first session of Parliament in Paris, on 20 January 2014, elected the President of Western Armenia.[24][25]

Claimed lands

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The Declaration of the Formation of the National Assembly of Western Armenia states that Western Armenia's jurisdiction applies to the vilayets of Van, Bitlis, Erzurum (which Armenians call "Karin"), Trebizond, Sivas, Diyarbekir, Harput, Kars, Surmalu, Javakheti, and Nakhchivan, as well as the historical region of Cilicia.[c][26]

Artsakh is also sometimes claimed to be part of the Republic of Western Armenia.[27][28]

Karin is claimed as the capital of Western Armenia.[29]

The "Western Armenia TV" newscaster also introduced cities such as Bitlis, Muş, Van, Mardin, Iğdır, Adana, Trabzon and Rize as "Western Armenia" in their news bulletins.[30] The broadcaster stated, "Western Armenia, which was declared an independent and sovereign state in 1920, is now occupied by Turkey. Sooner or later it will return to its true owners, the Armenians."[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Return to the anthem of Western Armenia "Zartnir Lao"". "Western Armenia TV. "In May 2011, President Armenag Aprahamian sent a letter to the team manager Hakan Yavuz, thanking him for using the anthem of Western Armenia "Zartnir Lao" as the anthem of his team."
  2. ^ "Խորհրդանիշներ - Արևմտյան Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն". "Website of the President of Western Armenia."
  3. ^ "Deputies of Western Armenia - led by President A. Aprahamian visited Karin - Western Armenia TV". Western Armenia TV. "Karin is of key importance because it is the capital of Western Armenia."
  4. ^ "Provinces and regions of Western Armenia - Western Armenia TV". Western Armenia TV. "The capital of Western Armenia, Karin, with an area of 25066 square kilometers, is the largest city in the region. Karin is the largest city in occupied Western Armenia."
  5. ^ "The President of the Republic of Western Armenia Lydia Margossian presented the one-year activity plan". Western Armenia TV.
  6. ^ "President of the Republic of Western Armenia - The Government of the Republic of Western Armenia". Government of Western Armenia
  7. ^ APPEAL The State of Armenia (Republic of Western Armenia) on Modern Threats, Challenges, and Vision of the Future, Dialogue of Civilizations, Cultures, and Religions - Obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Western Armenia. Citizenship Site of the Republic of Western Armenia
  8. ^ "The New Year's speech of the Prime Minister of Western Armenia, Seda Melikyan"
  9. ^ APPEAL The State of Armenia (Republic of Western Armenia) on Modern Threats, Challenges, and Vision of the Future, Dialogue of Civilizations, Cultures, and Religions - Obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Western Armenia. Citizenship Site of the Republic of Western Armenia
  10. ^ "The 26th meeting of the Western Armenian National Assembly was held". Western Armenia TV.
  11. ^ APPEAL The State of Armenia (Republic of Western Armenia) on Modern Threats, Challenges, and Vision of the Future, Dialogue of Civilizations, Cultures, and Religions - Obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Western Armenia. Citizenship Site of the Republic of Western Armenia
  12. ^ "National Assembly (Parliament) of Western Armenia – Official site". parliament-wa.info. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  13. ^ "Maps of the state of Armenia. Borders in accordance with the Memorandum of February 12, 1919 by the Armenian united national delegation at the Paris Peace Conference". National Assembly (Parliament) of Western Armenia. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  14. ^ "CEC ANNOUNCEMENT On the preliminary results of the past elections of deputies of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Western Armenia of the 3rd convocation". Elections of the deputies of Parliament of Western Armenia. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  15. ^ "Welcome to Western Armenia - Western Armenia TV "Do you know that Artsakh and Nakhichevan are part of the Republic of Western Armenia?"". 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  16. ^ "Welcome to Western Armenia". Western Armenia TV. "Did you know that today in Western Armenia there are all the institutional structures of the state: the presidency, the government, the parliament, the Constitution, the anthem, and the coat of arms?"
  17. ^ "Welcome to Western Armenia". Western Armenia TV. "Therefore, today there are two internationally recognized Armenian states: (...) The Republic of Western Armenia, the legal successor of the Armenian state recognized by international law in 1920."
  18. ^ a b c LEPL - DAVID AGHMASHENEBELI - NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY OF GEORGIA CONTEMPORARY SECURITY CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT COLLECTION OF THE PAPERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC-PRACTICAL CONFERENCE Page 12
  19. ^ Ahmed 2006, p. 1576.
  20. ^ Suny 2015, p. xiv.
  21. ^ a b Suny 2015, p. xviii.
  22. ^ a b c Kévorkian 2011, p. 279.
  23. ^ Bloxham 2005, p. 8–9.
  24. ^ a b Argentina, Redacción (2021-08-30). "Origin of the Current Republic of Western Armenia". Pressenza. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  25. ^ a b "The Government of the Republic of Western Armenia (Armenia) – Official website". gov-wa.nt.am. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  26. ^ http://www.western-armenia.eu/stat.gov.wa/en/2013/DECLARATION-THE-NATIONAL-ASSEMBLY-OF-WESTERN-ARMENIA-01.06.2013.pdf
  27. ^ https://westernarmeniatv.com/en/society_en/welcome-to-western-armenia/ Do you know that Artsakh and Nakhichevan are part of the Republic of Western Armenia?"
  28. ^ Argentina, Redacción (2023-10-07). "A historical lie". Pressenza. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  29. ^ "Deputies of Western Armenia - led by President A. Aprahamian visited Karin - Western Armenia TV". Western ArmeniaTV. "Karin is of key importance because it is the capital of Western Armenia."
  30. ^ "Ermeni spikerden Türk siyasetçiye çok sert 'Batı Ermenistan' yanıtı!". Rudaw. "Haber bültenlerinde Bitlis, Muş, Van, Mardin, Iğdır, Adana, Trabzon ve Rize gibi kentleri “Batı Ermenistan” olarak tanıtan "Western Armenia" adlı televizyon kanalı spikeri (...)"
  31. ^ "Ermeni spikerden Türk siyasetçiye çok sert 'Batı Ermenistan' yanıtı!". Rudaw. "Ermenistan'da yayın yapan "Western Armenia" adlı televizyonun spikeri, "1920'de bağımsız ve egemen bir devlet olarak ilan edilen Batı Ermenistan, şimdi Türkiye tarafından işgal edilmiş durumdadır. Er ya da geç gerçek sahiplerine Ermenilere dönecek" dedi."

Sources

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Notes

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  1. ^ The first one is in the decree of the flag, while the second one is the variant that is used sometimes by Western Armenia, although definitely not as much.
  2. ^ The first one is in the decree of the flag, while the second one is the variant of which is commonly used. Another variant being used uses #0000E7 for the blue, seen in places like in places like Western Armenia TV and the President's website. Both versions are used, however the one using the #0000E7 doesn't seem to be used that much.
  3. ^ The declaration's original text lists the following claimed territory:
    1. Van
    2. Bitlis
    3. Erzrum (Garin)
    4. Trapizon (Hamshen)
    5. Sivas (Sebastia)
    6. Diarbeqir (Dikranagert)
    7. Kharput (Kharberd)
    8. Kilikia (including Cesaria, Marash, Adana, Zeytun, Aynput, Antioq)
    9. Kars (and Surmalu)
    10. Javakhq
    11. Nakhijevan
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