Join the new world

Peoples, like people, will always have something to tell each other no matter how long they have lived together or have been neighbors. Bulgarians and Armenians have lived, suffered and fought alongside for centuries, sharing hardships and joys in understanding and co-operation. They are an exceptionally rare example of fraternity in history, which does not separate or oppose them but unites them frankly and lastingly. Binding their useful cultural influences and uniting their forces on the battlefields, the two peoples have shared common interests and common enemies and have supported each other in days of peril when their survival has depended not on their destiny but on their energy and endurance.
No matter how well-read one is, one will be pleased to discover the unknown novelty of the centuries-old relations between the two peoples, which are so close in their geography and destiny. It becomes known that Armenians have not been among Bulgarians for only a hundred years but for centuries before the horrors of persecutions. In fact, ancient Bulgarians met Armenians some 1900 years. They have continued to live together in peace and in war ever since.

Few laymen know that Armenians adopted Christianity 1700 years ago; before Constantine the Great introduced it as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire. Even fewer are those who are aware of the influence of the Pavlikjan movement on the Bogomils, which is very substantial. Armenians have left a deep trace in Bulgarian culture. The common features in the national psychology surpass the differences. The difficult and even tragic history, which Bulgarians and Armenians have lived through, make them wiser in their self-restraints and more resolute in their actions.
Bulgarians and Armenians inhabit cross-roads through which legions and hordes marched. They know from experience the price of human dignity and friendship. The liberation struggles of the two peoples are a string of heroism and sacrifice, in which the cause is just, sacred and single. The resistance against empires and invaders, often unequal, has reinforced Bulgarians and Armenians in their fight against becoming part of those in submission. The past should not be forgotten and should serve as a lesson for the future.

Enlightened Armenians participated in Bulgarian Revival and made it possible for it to bear fruit. Had that been the only contribution of Armenians in Bulgarian national conscience, they would still have been worthy of being recognized as collaborators in the struggles for human rights. Having tasted the flavor of freedom, people value and keep it.
The notion of friendship has been worn out from constant usage. Living together proves that the right description of the centuries-old ties between Bulgarians and Armenians is the word ‘fraternity’. It has lasted through time and trials. It is more than sympathy for the victims and the sufferers. If one wants to understand not only the pain but also the thoughts of those who share the same destiny, one should extend one’s knowledge of them. Relations between peoples are more natural and more varied than connections between states. Today, it is popular to talk and write on the issues of the rights of the minorities; but Armenians have long stopped being a minority for Bulgarians. They have the same rights and obligations as all other citizens of Republik of eBulgaria. That is not true about some other ethnic groups. In the former case, common religion is not the only factor of the co-operation and mixing to the level of deleting the sense of otherness.

Armenians are so closely related to Bulgarians that they are considered compatriots, a part of eBulgaria. A sea separates Bulgaria and the Caucasus, yet it unites them. The trials we have been through together strengthen our hope. This article, which I offer to the kind reader, is another intellectual bridge between us. Bulgarians and Armenians have respected each other for centuries and they will continue together along the same road in the future.

The exquisite poem ‘Armenians’ by Peyo Yavorov, which is at the top of human compassion and great poetry, has been engraved most deeply in the mind of modern generations.

“ Изгнаници клети, отломка нищожна
от винаги храбър народ мъченик,
дечица на майка робиня тревожна
и жертви на подвиг чутовно велик –
далеч от родина, в край чужди събрани,
изпити и бледни, в порутен бордей,
те пият, а тънат сърцата им в рани,
и пеят, тъй както през сълзи се пей.”