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For Nazar and Anna Janikyans, the Nansen passport was a flashlight torch \u00a0that saved their family amongst hundreds of other families.<\/p>\n
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In conversation with womennet.am, the son of Nazar and Anna Janikyans, Grigor Janikyan, who is a writer, journalist, and translator, \u00a0spoke about his grandfather\u2019s story. \u00a0With his beautiful wife and three daughters, Grigor Misakyan, was exiled to \u00a0Dei res-Zor, though some time later he returned \u00a0to Rodosto. \u00a0An \u00a0arab wanted to adopt Grigor\u2019s daughter Anna, who was a 5 years old at that time, hoping that \u00a0Anna \u00a0would forget her nationality and faith. Nonetheless, \u00a0\u00a0Grigor redeemed her daughter with gold. After restoring the ruined house, Grigor lived in Rodosto with his family until 1922, when the founder and first president of Turkish Republic, Kemal Ataturk, imposed the survivors of the Armenian Genocide to change nationality or leave the country. Armenian people chose the second.<\/p>\n
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Charles Aznavour\u2019s sister Aida presented this story in her book, – how their family left Istanbul and settled in France due to Nansen passport. \u201cIf there were no Nansen passport, Charles would not be Charles\u201d, \u2013 wrote Aida. \u00a0\u00a0Without any certificate of identification Armenian people were deported, and forced to spread throughout the world \u2013 Greece, Bulgaria, France, elsewhere. It was then when Nansen implemented a never heard humanitarian step, creating an opportunity to save hundreds of Armenians. \u00a0He took great responsibility on behalf of \u00a0the Armenian people, \u00a0such as if any Armenian \u00a0committed a crime in any country, or had an enormous debt, Nansen would be \u00a0responsible for it, \u2013 says Grigor Janikyan.<\/p>\n
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From 1923-1924, Janikyan\u2019s family settled in Bulgarian city of Haskovo together with dozens of Armenian families There they all \u00a0received Nansen passports. Expatriate Armenians were evacuated from Turkey, and ships took them to \u00a0different locations. \u00a0\u00a0Though the most tragic and painful \u00a0fact was that in a document given by Turkey it was mentioned that the Armenians had no right to return and they were exiled from their homeland forever.<\/p>\n
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-My father and mother used to tell me that those not having Nansen passport were not considered \u00a0human beings, as they were not registered, even if they were killed or robbed in the streets, there was no document confirming their identity, \u2013 says Grigor Janikyan, \u2013 in 1946, our family immigrated to Soviet Armenia together with thousands of families. My mother used to tell me that people on the \u201cRussia\u201d ship were taken their Nansen passports away and were given passports of the Soviet Armenia instead.<\/p>\n
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According to Grigor Janikyan, today there are no Armenians with Nansen passports in the world, as they were given citizenship and passports of the certain countries. The writer considers it to be a fatal mistake, that when Armenians received Nansen passports, they were considered deprived of their homeland, but when they received citizenship of \u00a0other countries, the Turikish announced that they were \u00a0not without a homeland; they \u00a0were citizens of this or that country. However, Nansen passports helped Armenians to survive in any corner of the world. This \u00a0was Nansen\u2019s huge role which will remain in the history of the Armenian people forever.<\/p>\n
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One cannot have memory if he has no past. This memory brought Grigor Janikyan to his grandfather\u2019s homeland \u2013 Rodosto, current Tekridagh, preserved ruins of his grandfather\u2019s house in Saint Kong district. \u201cI do not wish even my enemy to feel what I felt during this week\u201d, \u2013 saying this, Grigor Janikyan concluded his story.<\/p>\n
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Read more on our Website:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fridtjof Nansen \u2013 The conscience of the world \/film\/<\/a><\/p>\n There is no original Nansen passport in the Armenian Genocide Museum<\/a><\/p>\n