Leaning my head on his shoulder I listen to the translation of the Japanese sentences, mixed with Latin letters and Armenian notes. He is holding his burgundy prison diary.
It’s Monte’s birthday again. A time of accountability and reflection on what we have and have not done. However, when I think about the past several months, I hardly find anything positive to report in the Armenian reality.
As a young Armenian living and studying in the United States, I am ashamed to say that my knowledge of Armenian history and politics is minimal. Unfortunately, in America the opportunities to learn about and understand our Homeland are limited.
What follows are excerpts of an interview given by Markar Melkonian, Monte’s brother, to the Voice of Nor Serount newspaper of London, 2005. Hetq has chosen those that provide some insights into the formative years of Monte’s early life.
In light of current issues in Armenia and Diaspora once again I ponder about Monte’s timeless thoughts. “I wrote that I was very eager to talk with you in depth about our people’s situation today. I said there were very many bitter and sad realities we had to understand.
A couple of hours after you left this world, Saribek also passed away from the wounds that he received during that day’s firefight. About three years later, Komitas lost his life on a reconnaissance mission. Vartan died of heart disease there years ago.
What follows is a slightly abridged version of an article written by Monte Melkonian’s wife Seda on the anniversary of Monte’s death on June 12, 1993.
In the early morning the self-defense forces of the Martuni region of Nagorno Karabakh began an operation to destroy the military strongholds in the villages of the Aghdam region of Azerbaijan.
For the past several weeks, the “Hayrenaser” organization has been hard at work to organize the Diaspora’s main event dedicated to the famed Artsakh commander Monte Melkonian on the occasion of his 54th birthday.
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