The presentation took place on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, at 8:00, at Avedis Aharonyan Hall. A large number of book-lovers and Armenian patriots attended the event organized by the Literary Committee of the Hamazkayin Sanahin Chapter and the Armenian Cause Regional Committee.
Anahit Balian delivered an opening speech in the name of Sanahin Chapter’s Literary Committee. She said that the Armenian people would be undying in Homeland and all over the world since there are such self-sacrificing heroes and conscientious journalists like Vicken Cheterian, as well as the St. Hagop National School’s patriotic teachers and parents, with their students and children.
Anahit Balian mentioned that Vicken Cheterian’s book is not about the massacres. It is about the events that took place after the Genocide, the life of the oppressed Armenian survivors, the Armenian Cause from the standpoint of the awakened Turkish intellectuals, Hrant Dink's assassination, and his heroic acts in support of Turkey’s democratization, the Kurdish issue, and other historical and political issues in Turkey.
The host of the event presented the author’s biography before inviting him to the stage. She noted that Vicken Cheterian is not only a journalist, but also a historian and lecturer at Webster's University in Switzerland. He received his primary education in the Hovagimian-Manougian School and later graduated from the English Literature department of the American University of Beirut. He got his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in politics and international relations from Graduate Institute of International Relations University in Geneva. Dr. Cheterian is the founder of the Caucasus Media Institute in Yerevan, where he worked as a principal for three years. He worked for European newspapers such as Le Monde Diplomatique. Currently he works for Al-Hayat Daily and for Agos Weekly as a correspondent. Financed by the state of Switzerland, he also prepares reporters to work in the war zones of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Dr. Cheterian first thanked the Regional Board of Hamazkayin and the Sanahin Chapter as well as all people of Hay Dat and the Youth Union of Canada, who did not spare any effort to ensure the success of the event.
Then, he spoke about the Hurst Publishing House in London, which, in the frame of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, published the author’s two previous books that gave a boost to the third one. In addition to it, New York's Oxford University Press published it in 2015. The author pointed out that in the book he focused on Turkey’s policy of denial and its terrible consequences, also noting that the genocide denial is genocide itself.
V.Cheterian touched upon the Turkish-Azeri rapprochement and Armenian-Azeri tense relations. Coming to the Kurdish issue, Dr. Cheterian said that Turkey has not changed yet, and is trying today to stifle the freedom of speech by the same fraudulent and brutal methods, which shows that Turkey still fails to have mature diplomacy and politics in managing the country. On the other hand, V. Cherterian said that today the Kurds understand quite well that they are in the same situation of Armenians, when, as minority, they were classified as citizens of 2nd rank.
During this very interesting presentation, Dr. Cheterian mentioned that Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians played an important role in the history of the Middle East and the West, but unfortunately today no one remembers that reality. He emphasized that Armenians have a great deal of work to do to restore our history before the genocide, and to introduce it to the Arab world, establishing contacts with Arab intellectuals and statesmen.
Through various pictures on the poster, V. Cheterian presented the difficulties that the survivors have to go through at present. Then he spoke about Hrant Dink and concluded his speech saying, "Hrant is a great symbol for me. Unfortunately, he died, but his death changed the public opinion in Turkey.
Dr. V. Cheterian received warm applauses from the audience, after which he answered the questions.
At the end of the event, Anahit Balian encouraged the guests to promote the book and spread it everywhere, especially in foreign circles, and advocate the Armenian Question from the old days until today. Then she expressed gratefulness to Vicken Cheterian in the name of the Sanahin Chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association for perfectly presenting the book OPEN WOUNDS: Armenians, Turks, and a Century of Genocide, which really attracted the attention of everyone.
She also thanked the friends from the Armenian Cause Committee for bringing their unquestionable contribution to the success of Dr. Cheterian's events at the Université de Montréal, Montreal, and Toronto Armenian Centers and at the University of Toronto. She thanked the graduates of the Bastermajian Secondary of St. Hagop National School,
Miriam Tovmasian, Taline Tonoyan, Tamara Petros and Sevan Donabedian for their participation in the program and of course the book-lover attendees for their interest towards the Armenian culture and Armenian Cause and for their support.
After Anahit Balian’s speech, the participants of the event were treated. They congratulated the author who signed the books.
Executive Board of Sanahin Chapter