Security for Armenia Is a Form of Genocide Justice
Security for Armenia is absolutely at the top of my agenda. Never again shall Armenia be threatened by its Turkic neighbors.
When discussing what reparations for genocide should look like, Barsamian pivots from the traditional language of land restoration or financial compensation to something more pressing: Armenia’s security and military capacity. For Barsamian, genocide justice is not merely historical acknowledgment-it must translate into preventing future threats from the same perpetrators and their allies.
This reframing is significant because it elevates Armenia’s immediate security concerns to the same plane as international recognition and education. Barsamian argues that every country recognizing the Armenian Genocide should simultaneously commit to supporting Armenia’s defense capabilities, ensuring robust military systems, and guaranteeing that Armenia’s neighbors-particularly Turkey and Azerbaijan-understand that Armenian sovereignty is non-negotiable. This is justice as prevention, not just as memory.
Barsamian also stresses that normalization in the region can only happen if Armenia’s prisoners held in Azerbaijan are released, if Armenia’s borders are respected, and if Iran remains a reliable partner. In his view, true reparations must be practical and ongoing: armed strength, strong diplomatic alliances, economic development, and the absolute commitment that ’never again’ means Armenia will never again be vulnerable to existential threats from its neighbors. This approach treats genocide justice not as a closed historical chapter but as an active, present-day imperative.
Transcript
Anthony Barsamian: I think reparations takes many forms. So the question becomes, what is true justice when you suffer a genocide? Some people believe it's getting lands back. Some people believe it's just them acknowledging. I think for every Armenian, it's a little different. But I think security for Armenia is absolutely at the top of my agenda, meaning never, never again shall Armenia be threatened by its Turkic neighbors, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and anyone else. I think we're coming to a new place in the region. I'd like to be optimistic, but cautiously optimistic. I think Armenia should arm up always. Security for Armenia is crucial. Good relations with its neighbors are crucial, including Iran. I'm one of the first people to say if I was an Armenian in Armenia, I think Iran is so important to Armenia, as is Russia, as is Georgia, Azerbaijan. I mean, all these countries around Armenia need to have normalized relations. Why? It's in their best interest. If no one's going to invest in Armenia, The only way you're going to get true investment and technology and all these things that everybody talks about is if there's a normalized peace in the region and Armenia is respected within its borders, and everyone respects that.