Simon Abkarian: Armenian diaspora is an 'empire' that ignores its power

French Armenian actor and playwright Simon Abkarian addressed Armenians and the Armenian diaspora through the Oeuvre d'Orient association.

"We [Diaspora Armenians] have to stand up to survive, and to survive we have to fight. This means organizing and specializing all existing bodies and associations. We don't need to be naive anymore. We should no longer say "shame on the United States," "shame on the EU." We understood that they are not ashamed. We have reached a point where political ethics have been completely suppressed and sold for money. [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev said after the fall of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]: ‘We have oil, but they [i.e. Armenians]—diaspora.’ The [Armenian] diaspora is an ‘empire’ that ignores its power," Abkarian said.