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.

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