Since the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission went public, the ARF, along 
with other waning politicals that are also trying to pump new life into their dying 
ideologies, have come out publicly vilifying, decrying, and denouncing this voluntary 
initiative.  As previously stated, this commission cannot enact policy.  The governments 
of both Armenia and Turkey have the final say on anything that is offered.  And in effect, 
both governments have already acknowledged this to be true.


However, not wanting to let the opportunity of a new controversy slip through their 
fingers, the ARF has also let some of their ‘pit bulls’ out of their cages to join in their 
newest feeding frenzy.   And finally, at long last, their mounting resentment towards the 
Armenian Assembly’s successes and for Hriar Hovnanian’s unselfish and undying efforts 
to get the Republic of Armenia on the map, are finally becoming visible.   As with all of 
their blunders in the past, the ARF has finally launched its long overdue tirade against the 
Armenian Assembly.  Why?  Because the ARF has to once again take a back seat to a 
more forward thinking and progressive thinking Armenian organization.   And for lack of 
understanding, desperation or out of downright stupidity, they are even trying to classify 
Van Krikorian, who’s heading this commission, as Hriar Hovnanian’s ‘lackey’ and as 
such, willing to forget about the Genocide.  Traitorous?   To say the least.  Yet this is the 
very same Van Krikorian who took Ronald Reagan’s taState department to the United 
States Federal Court and got them to stop referring to the Armenian Genocide as alleged.  
Are they for real? 


As most Armenians already know, the ARF does not represent nor do they speak for the 
majority of our people, even though they try to reflect this image.  However, because their 
members are cloned, they speak as a body regardless of whether something is true or 
false.  Outside of what they ask their wives to cook for dinner, they do not think as 
individuals.  Fact is that the words Revolutionary Federation in their Armenian 
Revolutionary Federation reflects their militant characteristic, and their present-day 
members play the part.  Sadly, the closest they come to the heroes of their past are the 
ones they sing about.


As an American-Armenian, I do not pretend to know all of the underlying ramifications 
regarding this issue but one thing I do know is that since the TARC is more of a 
brainstorming operation to find out, among other things, what it would take to get Turkey 
to lift their blockade of Armenia, I would think that a little patience is in order before 
anyone tries to start a feeding frenzy.


In short, one cannot negotiate without compromise--compromise cannot be negotiated 
without open-minded dialogue and open-minded dialogue cannot take place between 
closed-minded people.

I’ve been writing Armenian commentary for many years.  And in many of those 
commentaries, I’ve expressed my personal horrors towards the heinous massacres of our 
people by the Ottoman Turks.  Certainly, I, along with all conscientious Armenians, 
including Hriar Hovnanian, the Armenian Assembly, or for that matter, Van Krikorian 
and his compatriots on the commission, would like nothing better than to see an 
honorable and just closure of this matter without further bloodshed.  But I firmly believe, 
as I believe that most rational Armenians do, that such a closure would not be possible if 
we were to allow our self-appointed patriots to keep using the genocide as their private 
‘hate card’.  And this goes double for the Turks who deny it.


I might also add that when the Ottoman Turks butchered 1,500,000 of our people starting 
in 1915, they didn’t stop to ask who was ARF, ADL, or Hunchuk.  It therefore goes 
without saying, that since this concerns all Armenians, that no Armenian organization has 
the self-appointed right to dictate conscience.


At present, the most important thing we can do collectively is to help our little Republic 
of Armenia to get democratically, spiritually, and economically on its feet.


And if there is one thing I can say to the ARF as well as those who are contributing to this 
feeding frenzy, -- if respect and authority are what you’re after, then remember that old 
Armenian commandment which preceded the Ten Commandments, Huhr-keh vor 
huhr-kev-iss.


Joseph Vosbikian