Words of a Diaspora Armenian:

“Strange that Diaspora Armenians talk so poorly about Hayastantsis, that they’re clannish, stole money and aid after the earthquake, and have other various bad traits. I know personally that $5,000,000 collected in the Diaspora and meant for earthquake relief never even reached Armenia. The money ended up in a Swiss bank account. And to say that Hayastantsis don’t let foreign-born Armenians do business in Armenia. Or if they do, they run them out once they are successful. This might be true. But Armenians everywhere are like that. If a Dashnak moves to a certain country, for instance, he’ll only do business with Dashnaks. If a Hunchak appears on the scene, it’s the same thing, he’ll do business with Hunchaks, but not with Dashnaks, not that the Dashnaks would do business with him anyway.

“They say there are 5-6 million Armenians in the Diaspora. In reality, there are no more than 10,000. What I mean is this: most Armenians are good at talking, but it’s all hot air. The 10,000 do all the work, and often nobody knows who they are.

“And I’m embarrassed about the recent writer’s conference in Armenia, where the government paid all that money to bring writers to Armenia, all expenses paid, hotels, everything. Did any of them say they could come on their own expense, that the money could be used to improve life for orphans or old people? Not one of them. And then they give awards to “approved” writers and translators, whom everyone, including the writers, know are worthless. Did anyone speak up? Of course not. They all want to be invited again, to live it up, eat their barbecue, and talk their heads off.

“This is why, in my belief, Armenia and Armenians are in the state their in. There’s no unity. Yet, we’re still here. Remember Darius I, who wrote the names of the countries he had subjugated, in 600 BC, the first time the name ‘Armenia’ appeared in history. All the other countries he wrote are long gone, from small countries to large.”

When asked about the recent visit by Hillary Clinton and the Karabagh negotiations, he replied simply with the now widespread opinion that a short war is being planned, in which Armenia will lose the liberated territories, to where the current leaders can’t say they gave it away by a simple signature.

“Their names will go down as the greatest traitors in our entire history. But what good will that do...they’ll run and hide with their billions, while the nation, if it continues to exist, will be a shell, nothing, overrun with Turks and Azeris. Then let them try to collect money from the Diaspora for this or that project...”