 Publisher, The California Courier
Incredible, but true! Eilian Williams, a shepherd in Wales, has done more in support of the Armenian Cause than most Armenians, despite the fact that he is not related to Armenians by heritage or marriage. For all his good work, he has received no recognition and no appreciation. Most Armenians, except for a small circle in London, are neither aware of his existence nor his selfless efforts.
His first involvement with Armenians began in 1998 when an Armenian acquaintance asked him to arrange for the Armenian Church Choir to perform in Eisteddfod, a Welsh Cultural Festival. This prompted him to form the “Wales Armenia Solidarity” group.
On April 24, 2001, Mr. Williams organized the first Armenian Genocide commemoration in the Temple of Peace, located in Cardiff, Wales. He then succeeded in getting the National Assembly for Wales in October 2002 to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide and organized a special commemorative event in the National Assembly building, which was attended by Armenia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Through his persistent efforts, the Gwynedd County Council in March 2004 became the first municipality in the UK to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
In October 2004, Mr. Williams arranged for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh) to be received by the Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the National Assembly for Wales, thus boosting the legitimacy of Artsakh’s statehood.
Two years later, Mr. Williams was able to persuade the majority of the members of the National Assembly for Wales to support the Assyrian/Armenian Genocide Early Day Motion (EDM).
In January 2007, he organized the Hrant Dink Commemoration in the British Parliament. He also lobbied for the Armenian Genocide Motion in the House of Commons which garnered the signatures of 182 Members of Parliament.
On November 3, 2007, at the inauguration of the Armenian Genocide Monument in Cardiff, which Mr. Williams and John Torosyan helped organize, the Speaker of the National Assembly for Wales made scathing remarks about Turkey. Turkish hooligans tried to disrupt the solemn proceedings; several months later, they desecrated the Genocide Memorial.
Over the years, I had followed with great admiration the unpublicized activities of this “odar” shepherd of Wales. However, I had no direct contact with him until last month, when I received from him the text of a new Early Day Motion that he had submitted to the British House of Commons. The Motion demands that Turkey return the more than 2,000 Armenian, Assyrian and Syriac churches and religious monuments confiscated by the Turkish government after the 1915 Genocide to the jurisdiction of their respective Patriarchates as “a measure of restitution.”
The Motion further asks that the British government recognize the fact that these minorities were ethnically cleansed in the years following 1915, as was recently acknowledged by Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Erdogan. The Motion has so far gained the support of 23 Members of the British Parliament.
This Motion attracted my attention because in recent months, I have been advocating such an initiative through my columns and lectures. I was pleasantly surprised when the Welsh shepherd sent me an e-mail last month informing that he had decided to take this action after reading my columns and particularly the remarks I had delivered at the House of Commons on May 7.
Armenian-Americans should follow the good example set by Mr. Williams and submit a similar resolution to the U.S. Congress. It would be practically impossible for any Member of Congress to oppose a motion that calls for the return of Armenian houses of worship to their rightful owner, the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. Such a resolution would go beyond the mere acknowledgment of the Genocide, by seeking to restore some of the massive losses suffered by the Armenians.
European Armenians should go even further by filing a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights, seeking a judgment for the immediate return of the churches and religious monuments to the Armenian Patriarchate. It is unconscionable that these Armenian churches — the ones not yet destroyed — have been converted to mosques, warehouses and living quarters, and no one is contesting this shameful state of affairs! One can imagine the worldwide outcry if today’s German government were still holding on to a single synagogue that was confiscated by the Nazis during the Holocaust!
My hat off to Eilian Williams! I only wish that Armenians would emulate the righteous activism of this good shepherd whose efforts deserve proper recognition by the Republic of Armenia, the Church, and Armenians worldwide!
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Welsh Shepherd Does More for Armenian Cause than Most Armenians
Comments
12 responses to “Welsh Shepherd Does More for Armenian Cause than Most Armenians”
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I am so grateful to Eilian Williams, a shepherd from Wales.
Also, my hat off to Eilian Williams!
I ADMIRE HIS ACTIVITIES!!! GOD BLESS YOU Eilian Williams!!!
Mr. Sassounian in his column “Remarks at House of Commons, Demanding Justice for Armenians” wrote:
“Restitution can take many forms. As an initial step, the Republic of Turkey could place under the
jurisdiction of the Istanbul-based Armenian Patriarchate all of the Armenian churches and religious
monuments which were expropriated and converted to mosques and warehouses or outright destroyed”
You are right, till we return our homeland – THE WESTERN ARMENIA, which has been occupied by Turkey
after commiting crime against humanity-GENOCIDE, we must return our churches, munuments, our grantparents
houses. (there are many cases in the European court from Cyprus citizens vs. Turkey) . The same must do
ARMENIANS. We have payments from “New york Life” and “AXA” insurance companies, we will have
restitution and reparation from Turkey, too! Turkey will face its shameful history! If Turkey considers itself
European country, it should take EXAMPLE from GERMANY and recognize the Armenian Genocide. EU is
not just territory, it is European values, traditions, Human Rights, History and JUSTICE.
Turkey!!! Proof you can be a member of EU!
FIRST OF ALL – RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE!!!
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Turkey’s Prime Minister is very sensitive to Genocides: Israel, China… and recieved the appropriate reply: “It is better for Àurkey to remember its commited genocides!!!
Advice to Mr. Erdogan: “Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you”
DON’T TALK ABOUT GENOCIDE or OCCUPATIONS FOREVER.
They remind the shameful past of your country.
Best regards,
Anna -
Anna do you still continue your fradulent words?. Bring your countries archives here to discuss. Ours are open unlike yours.
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The Armenian National Archives are open!!!
You are welcome.
We don’d afraid to hide enything!
By the way some days ago a specialist from Turkey studied documents in our Armenian National Archives.
Don’t belive to your authorities, come and see yourself!
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ANNA=ROZA=the RAT,
Tolga brings up the excellent same point that has been brought up by the entire planet for several decades now…When are you dashnaks going to open up your archives? You’ve obviously have quite a lot to hide, don’t you!! So before you make comments on other countries, you need to start fixing up your own first!
For a country that receives the largest amount of foreign aid per capita in the world, and makes that it’s primary source of national revenue, you need to hang your heads in shame and keep your mouths shut!! You’re in no position to talk about anyone else!!The world will soon recognize officially the mass genocide committed by the dashnak Armenians agaisnt 2.5 million people before, during and after WWI!! We want reparations from Armenian in the form of returning NK back to Azerbaijan, and a full apology u to the world on the flooor of the UN admitting to what you dashnaks did and how you lied about it and covered it up for decades! WE SHALL NEVER FORGET!!
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Robert,
you are really the biggest IRIOT, don’t saying about the BIGGEST RAT!!!!
You are like a scorpion will eat yourself with your own poison.
P.S.1
Concerning “the largest amount of foreign aid per capita in the world”, you are again quite wrong, you have forgotten Israel! 🙂P.S.2
Concerning Artsakh (Karabakh) and Nakhijevan, you are very well aware they are ARMENIAN LANDS like the WESTERN ARMENIA!!! -
ANNA=The RAT,
You state two points: That Israel is the largest receipient of foreign aid per capita is not true! For the past ten years, Armenia has received over $1.4 billion/year. In addition, Armenia provides NOTHING to America or to the world in return, while Israel provides high tech knowledge and equipment, as well as vital security information, modern industry, hot vacation areas, etc. Remind us once again just what it is that Armenia contributes to the world and why it should receive so much mone from the American tax-payer?! Also, you state that the NK region is Armenian lands. False again. Several empires have owned this land over the numerous centuries. Why don’t you cry and whine to them! The UN even agrees that NK belongs back to Azerbaijan!
Skunked again I see!
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YOU WROTE: “Armenia has received over $1.4 billion/year. In addition, Armenia provides NOTHING to America or to the world in return”
WE RECIEVED SO MUCH, as you stated “Armenia provides NOTHING”
NOW GUESS “HOW MUCH WE WILL RECIEVE IF WE PROVIDE SOMETHING??!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
EXERCISE FOR YOUR BRAIN!!! IF … …. ! 🙂
🙂P.S.
I wonder, what is the UN opinion: to whom does belong North Cyprus ?????????????????? -
Mr. Robert, Artsakh never was under the foreign yoke, even when Armenia was.
People of Artsakh, like the people of the vilayets of “Zeytun” and Sassoun in the Western Armenia, were
very brave, independent and freedom-loving!!!
All Armenian Marshals during the WWII were from Artsakh!!!
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ANNA=SONA=RAT,
Is that why Armenia is one of the most oppressive and corrupt nations on the planet? Is that why so many of its people are desperately seeking exodus to other nations? Their economy is one of the worst! Per capita, they are the largest receipients of foreign aid in the world! They are the world’s biggest beggars, always with their hands out! Foreign aid is Armenia’s greatest import, while terrorism is its greatest export! So, I ask once again, just what is Armenia’s contribution to the world? Your Armenian Marshals of WWII weren’t even in the same league as a great and well respected leader named ATATURK!! All of the world’s leaders were at Ataturk’s funeral!! That’s how much respect he had earned in his short lifetime!
As for the UN, they say that the liberation of Cyprus in 1974 was completely LEGAL and within the articles of the tri-lateral Treaty of 1960!! Therefore, North Cyprus belongs to the Turkish Cypriots, where they’re safe from the murderous Greek terror groups like the EOKA-B!! Since it’s obvious that you know nothing of this topic, you really are not qualified to comment on it!
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ARTSAKH BELONGS TO ARMENIANS OF ARTSAKH, WHERE THEY ARE SAFE FROM THE MURDEROUS AZERIS.
WAR AGAINST ARTSAKH BEGUN AZERBAIJAN, when Armenians of Artsakh decided to live a life of independence!
ARMENIANS WON THE WAR! So, why you call Armenians occupant and separatist???????????????????????
By the same logic USA is the biggest separatist country??
July 4 is not Independence Day? Is it Separation Day???
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ANNA=RAT,
Do you know of a place called Kohajaly in Azerbaijan? You dashnak Armenians committed a genocide there in 1992!!! Armenians have attacked their neighbors repeatedly for land grabs (Turkey during WWI, Georgia once, and Azerbaijan three times [the first two times they got their asses kicked!])! So ANNA=RAT, who are the REAL murderers? How can the world ever trust Armenians? Finally, you dashnaks Armenians seem to have a major problem with the USA, degrading them as you just did in your post! Yet, you are always in the US Congress, with your hands out, as usual, begging as you always have done! No wonder the world calls you people “pathetic creatins”!!
Sir Ellis Bartlett said it best in Feb. of 1895, when on the floor of London’s Parliament, he gave a speech stating “Of all the Oriental races, the Armenians are the most subtle, adroit and PRONE TO LYING!”. The world knew what you dashnak Armenians were even way back then!!
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