Moscow City Duma member reacts to Armenian history book
ArmInfo.Russian journalist
and Moscow City Duma deputy Andrei Medvedev responded to new
interpretations of the history of the Armenian people in the updated
textbook on the History of Armenia for the 8th grade, where Russia is
presented as an occupier.
"I read a post that according to the new Armenian textbooks, Russia
annexed Armenia. That is, the Russian-Persian wars, after which the
Armenians were able to preserve their identity, is an annexation. I
did not believe it.
I am writing to an old friend, he is a heroic war correspondent of
the First Chechen War, then Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans. Now
Vadim is the director of the Russian House in Armenia. I ask, is it
true that they write such things in textbooks now," Medvedev noted.
He then quoted Vadim Fefilov's words in full.
"Vadim replied: "You know, we, that is, Rossotrudnichestvo in
Armenia, purposefully take Yerevan schoolchildren on excursion buses
to the wonderful state museum of Armenian-Russian friendship in the
suburbs of the capital.
"Yes, I know how it all really was!" a tall guy from the Yerevan
school named after Shevchenko told the museum director and me. "In
1828, the Armenian state provided a corridor for the passage of the
Russian army and the Russians treacherously captured Armenia,
essentially occupying us."
The director of the museum, Zhora Mambreevich Hakobyan, even
stumbled; he was just telling the children about the capture of the
Erivan fortress by the Russian corps of Count Paskevich and about the
Treaty of Turkmenchay, according to which the Persians pledged not to
interfere with the return of Armenians (with their property) to their
historical lands.
So, are we occupiers? - I ask the child prodigy from the Shevchenko
School.
"Well, sort of." I asked the boy and his classmates to go to another
wall of the museum, to the portraits of Armenian heroes of the
Russian army.
"Here is Prince Valerian Madatov, an Armenian born in
Nagorno-Karabakh. He became a general, a hero of the Russo-Turkish
War. And here is a portrait of the Minister of Internal Affairs of
the Russian Empire, the Tiflis Armenian Mikhail Loris-Melikov, also a
general and ataman of the Terek Cossacks, and there are also
portraits of Russian generals - ethnic Armenians Ter-Gukasov,
Argutinsky-Dolgorukov and many others": The young man listens without
interrupting. I ask him a question:
- So, were all these Armenians with orders and epaulettes
occupiers? Since they are generals of the Russian Empire. And who did
they occupy then?
The boy didn't answer, frowned, digesting. It was literally just
recently.
Why did I remember this? Yes, to your question. I was not very
surprised by the news about the new history textbooks, where Russia's
role in the restoration of the statehood of Armenia is distorted
beyond recognition."
That's how it is. Colonel Karyagin's campaign, then, was the
beginning of the annexation. The Battle of Aslanduz is also an
annexation. The Russians are to blame for everything.
Well, that's what it was all leading to. What to do with Marshal
Baghramyan is absolutely unclear. Is he also an occupier or what? Or
just a pro-Russian collaborator?" Medvedev asked.
Yesterday, another scandal erupted in the Armenian segment of social
networks, related to the new interpretation of the history of the
Armenian people according to the current authorities of the country.
Photos from the page of the 8th grade textbook on the History of
Armenia, where the chapter dedicated to the Russian-Persian War is
titled "Russian occupation of Eastern Armenia", have spread across
the network.