With My Fatherland

Hovhannes Toumanian (1869-1923)

From early days I turned my gaze towards the vast unknown.
In heart and mind I soar above the abyss, intent and lone.
Yet every time, O country of mine, my heart is torn again
When I reflect upon your past and present full of pain,
Upon the silent crowds of exiles-your devoted sons,
Upon the plight of ruined villages and burned and looted towns.

O Fatherland beloved mine,
In age-old sorrow you repine!

I see the ruthless enemy putting you to tortures,
I see your face so beautiful, your flowering, fields and orchards
Contorted with the agony of villages and towns;
I hear the shouts of those whose name I calmly can't pronounce,
Who turned our land into a vale of sorrow without bounds.
Till now in plaintive songs, my land, that sorrow still resounds.

O hillbound Fatherland of mine, 
In age-old anguish you repine!

Your wounds are countless, O my land, yet still alive are you.
The cherished words we have waited for are already breaking through
Your lips compressed with sorrow; we believe that on the way
Destined to you by God and Fate-those words you'll find and say.
We wait with fervour for your call-anon, Anon we hear it;
You will become a promised land, free both, in flesh and spirit,

O lofty, sacred Fatherland,
O ever-cherished Fatherland!

We hope, we know the dawn will rise and put an end to dark,
And joy will pour like sunshine into every stricken heart.
The summits of your mountains from the clouds on us will gaze,
And for the first time Ararat will smile at dawn's first rays,
And a poet with lips undefiled by rage and condemnation,
Will glorify in glowing words your great rejuvenation.

O my reviving Fatherland,
Shine with new light, my Fatherland!

Statement of Faith

By: Howard Ratcliffe

Jesus said a little leaven will leaveneth the whole lump, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways and man cannot serve the world (mammon) and God at the same time. This may sound unforgiving or judgmental, but I am merely the messenger and do not judge anyone here. I however do realize Jesus will judge everyone who has ever lived (all 6000 years worth) on their thoughts, words and deeds in relation to His most basic commandments Love Him and Love your neighbor. I am merely a watchman in need of salvation just like everyone else. As best I can, here is my foundation without leaven.

God created the universe just as we see it today about 6000 years ago, and the world is heading toward Chaos, a short Satanic rule, and the end of free will. This will be followed by the 2nd coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amillennialism is the root of religious error (leaven).

Denying Jesus the 1000 year reign on earth is the goal of Zionism. The Six Pointed Star is the Star of Chemosh and Ashteroth; not Jacob. Jacob is not in Israel; Edom, Sepharvaim, Ashkenaz, Cuth are. Biblical prophecy covers 7000 years; fitting all of it (ie Jacob’s Trouble and Gog and Magog) into 6000 is Amillennialism. Daniel’s “70 Weeks” means what it says, 490 days from the order to rebuild the Temple to Antichrist revealed will be 490 days. The Tribulation is not 7 years. There is no pre-Trib Rapture; nobody survives the 2nd Coming who is still on earth. Armageddon and Gog and Magog are 1000 years apart; they are not wars; they are cleansing of Sin from the world. Daniel’s 4th Beast is the 4th Kingdom on earth where humanity chooses the wrong Sovereign King (Flood, Crucifixion, 2nd Coming, New Jerusalem).

There is only one word of God “Bible”. The Authorized Bible aka KJV.

It is complete and error free. All others are based on the work of 2 occultists and cannot be trusted. Small changes of we to they, sin to debt, or Giant to Nephilim, Son of God to a son of the gods, Your election to God’s election can completely change the meaning. The Authorized bible is a living book, revealing deeper meaning the longer one spends with it. It does not change; trying to change the outcome of the world if folly. This is perhaps most important because the bible is the only weapon available to Christians and the weapon Jesus will use to cleanse sin will be the Word of God. This is the sword of God; not a metal weapon. It is God in written form (John 1: 1 John 5:7)

Becoming Born Again is necessary for salvation. (John 3:3)

Jesus will convict you of the inerrancy of the bible and provide you the source of all knowledge through the Holy Ghost, but you must ask Him for it. He never forces anyone or pre-selects anyone to receive it. Becoming Born Again is a great responsibility; falling back into Sin after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is very dangerous. At that point in your spiritual walk, there is no justification for killing, lying, or bearing false witness of another.

There is no “Church” which came from God.

The Christian “Church” refers to separated believers in Jesus Christ, not to a building or denomination. Holy is the Hebrew word and Ekklesia is the Greek words used for God’s Church; they both mean separate. Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, Mormons, Cults, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus are all in error in one way or another. Christianity is not a religion. Its only requirements are Love God and Love your neighbor. There is only one Christian leader, Jesus Christ. Jesus will be with “Assemblies” of 2 or more people gathered in His name. Church is not the same as Assembly; bishops and elders have a serious responsibility to teach only the Word of God, not give private interpretation of it. They have no authority to baptize anyone in Jesus’ name. Jesus does this by bestowing the Holy Ghost. Taking Communion with a liberal pastor or in an unrepentant state of mind is partaking of the crucifixion all over again; it is very dangerous.

There are no benevolent spirits or guardian angels Jesus approved of His followers to communicate with. Christians talk to Jesus only. Confession is made to Jesus, not to a Priest.

Jews did not crucify Jesus.

Satanists who look like Jews did. (Mat 23)

Jesus will not use a Temple prior to the 2nd Coming or during the Millennium.

The Temple in Jerusalem will be used by Antichrist. The Temple of God is not made with cut stones; it comes down from Heaven after Gog and Magog (last day of Millennium).

Jesus does not have any Rabbis, Priests, or Masters working for Him.

Elevating the clergy above the laity is Nicolaitan doctrine (Rev 2 and 3) and Jesus said He hated it. There is only 1 Pastor; Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost.

Pray to Jesus only.

Not to Mary. Not directly to God. Confess sins to Jesus, not to a Priest.

There is only one approved Christian holiday, Passover.

Jesus was not born on Christmas; He was born at Feast of Tabernacles (15 Tishri) in 5 or 6 BC. Feast of Tabernacles will be a mandatory holiday during the Millennium. Christmas celebrates Jesus’ death and the birth of the sun god, Satan. Easter celebrates a goddess, Ishtar not God, and Lent is the Pagan lament of Tammuz. The Sabbath is not Sunday. Saturday was once the Sabbath but Christians are not asked to keep it Holy. They are asked to keep every day Holy; that means separate from sin.

Grove worship is ritual Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.

It is going on today; Grove does not mean Asherah.

Jesus was crucified on a tree, not a man-made cross.

The cross is a purely Pagan symbol and an idol representing the Sun (Swastika), Tammuz (Ankh). It’s the symbol of Satan’s attempted murder weapon; it didn’t work either. The tree was the actual crucifixion device because the Pharisees had convinced people Jesus had committed a transgression worth of death by hanging on a tree in accordance with Jewish law. The crime: He declared Himself to be God, which He was. (Deut 21:22)

Original Sin does not exist.

Sins are not passed on to offspring by parents, therefore infant baptism is worthless. Parents are responsible for their Christian education until they reach the age of accountability (perhaps 21), after that, children must accept consequences of their actions and beliefs.

Jesus blood and body are not in the Eucharist Elements.

The communion supper is between you and Jesus. No clergy anywhere has any sort of power to bring body and or blood into the Eucharist. Communion absent a Born Again relationship with Jesus is partaking of the Crucifixion all over again. (1 Cor 11:27)

Tithing

Tithing is a debt to Jewish Law making Jesus of no effect on Salvation; Do not pay Tithing! No clergy has the ordination to accept Tithing.

Water baptism does nothing.

It is an outward display of accepting Jesus Christ only. Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the actual baptism, and that’s between you and Him only. Ephesians 4:5 says there is only 1 baptism; it’s not the one with water. When you receive the Holy Ghost, you will know it. John the Baptist made the way straight; Jesus does the baptizing with the Holy Ghost.

There is no pre-selection to eternal security.

Calvinism is very dangerous. You will strive to maintain good relations with Jesus from the moment you receive the Holy Ghost and sins you commit against the most evil person on earth are merely sins you are committing between yourself and Jesus. No demonic power including Satan himself can separate you from Jesus, but you must be Born Again and walk the walk with Him.

Jesus did not choose some for salvation and others for damnation.

He provides the opportunity for salvation to everyone, and erases people from the Book of Life who reject Him. Knowing the end from the beginning, He pre-destinated His believers for service according to their gifts of the spirit. Killing someone is a good way to get Jesus upset at you, so consider that when the draft is reinstated. The brave will drop their weapons and drop to their knees.

There is no Rapture.

This was made up by occultists. The body translation of believers happens just prior to 2nd coming, at the 7th Trumpet (1 Cor 15:51) because everyone here after that is going to die. Jesus is not bringing peace. He is coming to wipe out sinners from the earth. Nobody on earth survives the 2nd Coming. His followers will be behind Him, not in front of Him.
No member of any secret society (Masons, Jesuits, Shriners, Knightly orders, Rosicrucians etc) can ever be right with the Lord. Continued membership will land them in Hell. Salvation is in jeopardy by killing anyone even in times of war. Lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, giving false witness, coveting puts your salvation in jeopardy as well. Worshipping idols, or another god will lead to Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, the only unforgivable sin. Repentance to Jesus is the only remedy for sin because only He can forgive you for sinning.

There was no Big Bang or Black Holes.

There are no Aliens and monkeys are not our ancestors: there were no Cave Men: early humans were smarter than we are. Space is not Aether; it is nothing. The Earth is fixed and not moving. There is no Gravity. Occultists made that up to introduce the Big Bang and Aether.

There are no levels of Heaven (Celestial, Telestial, Purgatory, Sheol, Limbo)

Those were made up by occultists. There is only Heaven or Hell, and they last forever. The stars are not Heaven. There are no pre-existent souls anywhere in the physical universe. Falling stars are not fallen angels.

Demons cannot mate with humans.

There is no demon bloodline. There is Sin corruption of one’s bloodline from listening to demons, but no ½ breeds.

There are no Christian nations

,but Christians are in every country on earth. America cannot be Christian; it was founded by Luciferian Freemasons.

All governments and leaders are ordained by God according to His purpose.

His purpose is to demonstrate man-made leadership and man-made Temples always fail from corruption. Most world leaders are the most debased, morally destitute individuals around (Dan 4:17) Rebellion to them or their laws however is against God, even though leaders often rebel against Him. God will not ever expect us to violate one of His commandments such as killing, or lying. If needs be to survive, going to prison or giving your life instead will be the smartest thing you could do.

There is no acceptable level of violence for Christians.

There are no Christian Crusaders. There are no Christian Inquisitors. All wars and revolutions are instigated and managed by occultists as blood sacrifices to Satan. They reject the atoning blood of Jesus and spill the blood of the innocent.

There won’t be any homosexuals, pederasts, or effeminate in Heaven.

Transgender couples are not married in the eyes of God, they are sinning. Pedophilia and Pederasty will be dealt with severely. Homosexuality is not a genetic trait; it is learned behavior by people God has given over to a reprobate mind. (Rom 1:26) If God had created Adam and Steve, none of us would be here.

No amount of work will ever get you into Heaven

and Peter will not be at the gate. The keys given to Peter were knowledge of the Divinity of Jesus.

The Pope

is not Jesus’ representative on earth.

Jesus never had

sex with Mary Magdalene

There is no

Holy Grail

John the Baptist

was not Jesus’ mentor.

The last prophet of God

was John the Evangelist; all self anointed Prophets since are liars.

Jesus and Lucifer

were not brothers.

Jesus was not related by blood to King Solomon

only King David through his other son Nathan.

Christians who see visions, get visited by angels,

or claim to have seen God are lying or are seriously misled.

Faith healers

claiming some god given power are liars but healers who call on Jesus to heal are Christian.

Most (certainly not all) of our Christian icons were/are wolves in sheep’s clothing,

including Constantine, Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Knox, CS Lewis, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Robert Schuller, Bill Dobson, Rick Warren, Joel Olsteen et al.

Gnostics and Essenes

worshipped Satan.

Monks and Nuns

are not in fellowship with Jesus. Convents and Monasteries are not part of the Christian Church.

Swearing any oath

to anybody including God is a sin; Promise Keepers are being misled.

Focus on the Family, Vineyard Movement, Purpose Driven Churches

are also seriously misleading people.

The Mormon Church

is not Christian in any sense of the word. Mormons are attempting to replace the Levitical Priesthood with the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Dan and they are trying to replace Jesus, the true Melchisedek Priest with themselves.

Islam is the worship of Sin.

The Crescent was worshipped as Sin, Bel and Baal long before Muhammad claimed to see the Angel Gabriel in the cave.

Saying you are a Christian does not make you a Christian.

Going to church will not make you a Christian. Our image of what a “Good Christian” is, an image created by Satan.

Christians are not tasked with paving the way for Jesus’ return.

The 3rd Temple and gathering of Jews in the Promised Land are the work of Satanists posing as Jews and Christians.

The battle of Gog and Magog happens at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.

The gathering of nations matches Ezekiel 38 because occultists need people to believe Gog and Magog is happening.

Sephardic Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, and Mizrahi Jews are not Jewish.

The Pharisees were not Jewish. Zionists are not Jewish. Kabbalists are not Jewish. Rabbis are not Jewish. Rebbes are not Jewish. Converts to Old Testament Judaism are converts to a dead religion. Converts to Talmudic Judaism are playing with fire. God fearing Jews and Born Again Christians do not practice Kabbalah.

Palestinians are not Edomites.

Edomites are not dead nor have they been judged yet; they lead Israel. (Oba 15-20)

Petra and Peter are small stones

Jesus is the only rock worthy of putting confidence in.

Freemasons and Hellenes are “People of Hewn Stones”

who will be destroyed at the 2nd Coming along with their Temple.

There is no Temple in the Millennial Kingdom.

Jesus was not born at Christmas; He was born at the Feast of Tabernacles. His birthday will however become a mandatory observance during the Millennium as a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech 14)

No Temple built by the hand of man will ever measure up.

No man will ever become a Temple Man (God Man). This has been the foundational error of Man for 6000 years.

The US is not a democracy or God’s chosen nation

It is a Freemasonic creation made to be a counterfeit Babylon.

Christians are not Orthodox, Celtic, Coptic, Fundamental, Evangelical, or Charismatic

They just realize who created the universe and are trying to do something He would want.

Born Again Christians are not converts to anything

They can just spot liars because God gave them the Holy Ghost. God’s testing of Christians usually results from the world system, not because God actively persecutes them. God’s judgment of sin is usually quick and final as in Sodom & Gomorrah, the 10 plagues of Egypt, and Flood which were all caused to protect the Saviour’s bloodline from corruption. Once all of humanity’s bloodline has been corrupted with a Mark of the Beast, Jesus will return to consummate the marriage to His bride; Born Again Christians both dead and alive. Born Again Christians cannot lie, cut corners or hide their beliefs, and the world usually takes advantage of this. Occultists are confident that Satan is winning, and indeed it looks like he is for now. Just prior to the 2nd Coming, it will appear to be a done deal for Satan and his followers. The final gathering for battle will look like a floor mopping exercise, and nobody but Born Again Christians and protected Jewish followers who recently became converted to Jesus Christ will understand who the guy with the flaming eyes and blood soaked robe is, because His name will be The Word of God.

http://removetheveil.com/statement-of-faith/

The History of Armenia

Ancient Armenia (3500 BC - 520 BC)

Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world with a recorded history of about 3500 years. The oldest known ancestors of modern Armenians, the Hayasa-Azzi tribes, also known as Proto-Armenians, were indigenous to the Armenian Highland in Eastern Anatolia. These tribes formed the Nairi tribal union, which existed until late 13th century BC. The legendary forefather of Armenians, Hayk, famous for his battles with Babylonian ruler Bel, most likely was one of the Hayasa tribal leaders. The words 'Nairi' and 'Nairian' are still used by Armenians as poetic synonyms of the words 'Armenia' and 'Armenian'.

At the end of the second millennium BC, another Indo-European ethnic group, closely related to Thracians and Phrygians and referred to by the Greeks as Armens, migrated to the Armenian Highland from Northern Balkans. According to a Greek myth, which actually reflects this tribal migration, the forefather of Armenians - Armenios - was one of the Argonauts, accompanying Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece. In the year 1115 BC, king Tiglath Pileser I of Assyria reports a battle with a force of 20,000 Armens in the Gadmokh province of Assyria.

The mixture of Armens with the indigenous Hayasa eventually produced the Armenian people as it is known today. The existence of two major segments in the Armenian people is best of all illustrated by the fact that Armenians call themselves "Hay" and their country "Hayastan" after Hayasa, while other peoples call them Armenians and their country Armenia after the Armens. The Armenian language is basically the language of Armens, which is the only survivor of the now extinct Thraco-Phrygian group. It incorporated a large number of Hayasa words and grammatical features, as well as a significant number of non-Indo-European words from minor ethnic groups, which also took part in the ethnogenesis of Armenians.

The first significant state of the Armenian Highland was the highly advanced Kingdom of Ararat (with the capital in Tushpa, today's Van), better known under its Assyrian name Urartu (Ararat). This state was formed in the XI century BC and existed until VII century BC. Although populated mostly by Armenians, Urartu was ruled (at least during the first centuries) by a non-Armenian and non-Indo-European dynasty. In 782 BC the Urartian king Argishti I founded the fortified city of Erebuni, which is today's Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Another major city in the Valley of Ararat was Argishti-khinili, also founded by Argishti I in the year 775 BC.

In the late VII century BC Urartu, weakened by Scythian invasions, fell, but after several decades was revived under the Armenian Yervanduni (the Orontides) dynasty with the capital in Armavir, former Argishti-khinili. The revived kingdom was already called Armenia by its neighbours, but in some languages the older name, Urartu, was still in use. In the famous tri-lingual Behistun inscription of Persian king Darius the Great (522-486) the same country is referred to as 'Armenia' in the Persian and Elamite versions, and 'Urartu' in the Akkadian version.

Artashisian dynasty, First Armenian Kingdom

Armenia under the Yervanduni dynasty soon became a satrapy of the mighty Achemenide Persia, and later part of the Seleucid Empire. It restored its full independence in 190 BC under the king Artashes I, founder of the Artashesian dynasty (the Artaxiads).

The kingdom started to expand and reached its peak during the reign of Tigran II, also called Tigran the Great (95-55 BC). Under Tigran, Armenia ascended to a pinnacle of power unique in its history and became the strongest state in Asia Minor. Extensive territories were taken from Parthia, which was compelled to sign a treaty of alliance. Iberia (Georgia), Caucasian Albania, and Atropatene had already accepted Tigran' suzerainty when the Syrians offered him their crown (83 BC). Tigran penetrated as far south as Ptolemais (modern Akko in Israel). As a result, the empire of Tigran II stretched from the Caspian Sea in the East to the Mediterranean Sea in West, and from Mesopotamia in the South to the river Kura in North. Political strengthening and territorial expansion of Armenia was accompanied also by unprecedented cultural development, with rich cultural heritage of Urartu intermixing with Hellenistic features. As a result Armenia during the Artashesian period became one of the most Hellenized and culturally advanced countries of Asia Minor.

After the death of Tigran II, Armenia was reduced back to its ethnic Armenian territory and found itself in the middle of a long war campaign between Rome and Persia, with each superpower trying to have Armenia as its ally, as the military assistance with Armenia was crucial for gaining political superiority in Asia Minor.

Arshakunian dynasty, Second Armenian Kingdom

In the middle of the I century AD a new royal dynasty - the Arshakuni (the Arsacids) - was established in Armenia. This dynasty was related to the royal family of Persia, which bared the same family name. At this period Armenia and Persia enjoyed a long period of peace and cooperation, until in 251 AD the Sassanid dynasty came to power in Persia. Regarding Armenia as the ally of the overthrown dynasty, the Sassanids adopted anti-Armenian policy, trying to eliminate the Armenian state and to assimilate the Armenian nation. Since the Armenian religion of that period bared similarities to both Zoroastrianism and Greco-Roman polytheism, in the realization of their anti-Armenian policy the Sassanids were trying to capitalize on the religious closeness. In order to deprive the Persians of this advantage, the Armenian king Trdat III in 301 AD declared Christianity the state religion of Armenia, thus making Armenia the first Christian state in the world, with Gregory the Illuminator as the first head (Catholicos) of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire 12 years after Armenia became officially Christian.

Arab invasion and Byzantine Empire

By the end of the IV century the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia officially established their spheres of influence in Armenia. The Arshakuni dynasty was dissolved in the year 428, and eastern part of Armenia was annexed to Persia, while the western part was put under Byzantine rule. The Sassanids were forcing Armenians to convert to Zoroastrianism, causing the Armenian revolt of 451 under the leadership of prince Vartan Mamikonian, commander-in-chief of the Armenian army. Although the Armenian forces, outnumbered by the Persians, actually lost the legendary battle of Avarayr, and Vartan Mamikonian himself was killed, this turned out to be a significant victory for Armenians, as Persians eventually gave up their efforts to convert and assimilate Armenians, and were forced to agree to much higher level of autonomy for Armenia.

The spiritual independence of Armenia was further asserted in 554, when the second Council of Dvin (capital of Armenia of that period) rejected the dyophysite formula of the Council of Chalcedon (451), a decisive step that cut Armenians off from the Roman and Greek churches as surely as they were already ideologically severed from the East.

By the time of Arab invasion in 634 Armenia, ruled by prince Theodore Rshtuni, was virtually independent. After conquering Persia, the Arabs started to concentrate their armies against Armenia, but didn't manage to conquer the country until 654.

Bagratunian dynasty, Third Armenian Kingdom

After more than two centuries of struggle with the Arab Caliphate, Armenia regained its independence in 886, and both the Caliphate and Constantinople recognized prince Ashot Bagratuni as the king of Armenia. During the rule of the Bagratuni dynasty Armenia reached its peak in political, social and cultural development. The capital of Armenia of that period, Ani, was a magnificent city, known as "a city of one thousand and one churches". The Armenian architecture of the Bagratuni period, especially the dome laying techniques, for which Armenian architects were notorious, significantly influenced the Byzantine and European architectural styles.

At the end of the 10th century the Byzantine Empire, although ruled by an imperial dynasty of Armenian origin, adopted a near-sighted policy of weakening Armenia and eventually annexed it in 1045, thus depriving itself of an effective shield against disastrous invasion of Turkic nomads from Central Asia.

Rubinian dynasty, Fourth Armenian Kingdom

Before the fall of the Bagratuni kingdom a number of Armenian princes managed to escape from Armenia and found refuge in Cilicia, a region at the north-eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, where Armenians were the majority of population. In 1080 their leader, prince Ruben, founded in Cilicia a new kingdom, which became known as Cilician Armenia, or Armenia Minor (Little Armenia). The new Armenian state established very close relations with European countries and played a very important role during the Crusades, providing the Christian armies a safe heaven and provision on their way towards Jerusalem. Intermarriage with European crusading families was common, and European religious, political, and cultural influence was strong. The royal court of Cilicia and the kingdom itself were reformed on Western models, and many French terms entered the Armenian language. Cilician Armenia also played an important role in the trade of the Venetians and Genoese with the East.

Enduring constant attacks by the Turks, Mongols, Egyptians and Byzantines, Cilician Armenia survived for three centuries and fell to Egyptian Mameluks in 1375. The last Armenian king of Cilicia, Levon VI Lousinian, emigrated to France, where his grave still can be seen in the St. Denis Cathedral of Paris. The title "King of Armenia" passed to the kings of Cyprus, thence to the Venetians, and was later claimed by the house of Savoy.

Armenia under turkish rule

After the fall of the Cilician Armenia, the historical Armenian homeland, or Greater Armenia, was subject to various Muslim warlords, and eventually was divided between the Ottoman Empire (Western Armenia) and Persia (Eastern Armenia). Several Armenian principalities managed to preserve their independence or autonomy. The most significant among those was the Federation of Khamsa in Artsakh (today's Nagorno-Karabakh), which consisted of five allied principalities. De facto independent Armenian principalities existed also in the regions of Sasun and Zeytun in Western Armenia.

Being for centuries at the edge of physical annihilation, Armenians nevertheless managed to preserve and develop their national, religious and cultural identity. Apart from architecture, Armenians successfully manifested themselves in literature, painting, sculpture and music. Armenians were the 10th nation in the world to put their language in print.

Armenian Question

In 1828 the Russian Empire captured Eastern Armenia from Persia. Contact with liberal thought in Russia and Western Europe was a factor in the Armenian cultural renaissance of the 19th century. In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians initially benefited with the rest of the population from the measures of reform known as the Tanzimat, and in 1863 a special Armenian constitution was recognized by the Ottoman government. These liberties were however unknown outside Constantinople, and the condition of Armenians in Anatolia was unbearable. A so-called "Armenia Question" emerged in the relations between the Ottoman Empire - "the sick man of Europe" - and European superpowers. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, in which Eastern Armenians had taken part, Russia insisted in the Treaty of San Stefano that reforms be carried out among the sultan's Armenian subjects and that their protection against the Kurds be guaranteed. This demand was softened at the Congress of Berlin, but the "Armenian Question" remained a factor in international politics, with Great Britain taking on the role of Turkey's protector until the end of the century.

Having lost most of its territory in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire was afraid of losing Western Armenia as well, which would mean the end of the Ottoman dream of creating a pan-Turkic empire, stretching from Balkans to the Yellow Sea. A new state policy was formed, aiming at the final resolution of the "Armenian Question" through total annihilation of Armenians in their historic homeland of 3500 years. During the reign of sultan Abdulhamid Armenian massacres became a common phenomenon. In 1895, after Abdulhamid had felt compelled to promise Britain, France, and Russia that he would carry out reforms, large-scale systematic massacres took place in the Armenian provinces. In 1896 more massacres broke out in the capital and in Cilicia.

Armenian Genocide

After coming to power in Constantinople, the Young Turks made the policy of "No Armenians - no Armenian Question" their main priority. Taking advantage of the favourable political conditions created by the World War I, they began the "final resolution of the Armenian question" on April 24th, 1915, by executing hundreds of Armenian intellectuals of Constantinople without trial. In Armenian provinces of Eastern Anatolia all Armenian males aged 15-62 have been conscripted, disarmed and executed. Defenceless Armenian women, children and the elderly were deported to the Syrian desert Der-el-Zor; most of them were brutally murdered on the way by Turkish soldiers or Kurdish nomads, or died of starvation and exhaustion. More than one and half million Armenians, i.e. 80% of the Armenian population of Western Armenia, perished in this first Genocide of the twentieth century. Several hundred thousand survivors of the Genocide found refuge in neighbouring counties, laying the foundation of the worldwide Armenian Diaspora. By the year 1923 Western Armenia was completely de-Armenized, and successfully incorporated into the newly formed Turkish Republic.

Nagorno-Karabakh movement

The 71 years of Soviet rule in Armenia were a period of relative security, of great economic development, and of cultural and educational achievements. But during the same period the government of Soviet Azerbaijan was conducting a systematic policy of removing the Armenians from Nakhidjevan, which today has no Armenian population whatsoever. The same policy was less effective in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenians remained the overwhelming majority. In February 1988 a peaceful, democratic movement for the reunification with Armenia began in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the regional Assembly of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region adopted a resolution seeking transfer of Karabakh from Azerbaijan to Armenia, as a realization of the right of the peoples under alien domination to self-determination. The Azeri side responded by Armenian massacres in the Azeri cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, transforming the peaceful movement into a violent conflict, and lately committing an act of military aggression against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The newly proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh managed to defeat the invading Azeri forces and to create a security zone around its territory and a humanitarian corridor to Armenia. The negotiations on the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh are being conducted within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, through so-called Minsk Group, co-chaired by USA, Russian Federation and France.

Restoration of Independent Armenia

Armenia restored its full independence on September 21, 1991, and became a member of the United Nations on March 2, 1992. On January 25, 2001, Armenia also became a member of the Council of Europe.