Our Story - Part 9
November 9, 2020 – The ANA Plant Loses Its Fruit
When the news came that Nikol Pashinyan had signed Putin’s agreement that conceded Artsakh to Azerbaijan’s control, a dark cloud of resentment, anger and depression descended upon the Spyurk.
Compounding the despair even further, was a harsh wave of COVID-19 infections that swept through the ANA team and their families immediately following the war.
First Armen Antonyan and Armen Hakobjanyan were infected with the virus while serving in Armenian hospitals. Then Donald Wilson Bush was infected along with his mother-in-law and wife. At the same time, Tiran Antaplian, Suzy Sukiasyan and their families were diagnosed. Then Vram Martirosyan fell prey to the virus. Eventually Kristine Halajyan, Edgar Hay, Gurgen Mkrchyan and his entire family were housebound with COVID.
Throughout the slow cycle of COVID recovery, Kristine Halajyan, Armen Antonyan, Gurgen Mkrtchyan, and Donald Wilson Bush continued to widen the circle of ANA Spyurk unity by inviting Armenian members from several different countries to join their weekly Zoom calls which were scheduled through November and December.
“Kristine’s positive energy was amazing,” Bush recalled. “Even Covid-19 didn’t completely slow her down!”
After Kristine Halajian added Hayastanci members to the Zoom call from France, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Israel and UK, the international ANA group grew to include Vardan Amolikyan, Arpi Manukyan, Vahan Babakhanyan, Sarkis Simonjan, Henry Vardanyan, Armine Saghyan, Serob Andreasyan, Vahram Serobyan, Mais Karibyan, Zara Balayan, Hagop Djernazian, Asmik Kocharyan, Artiom Chernamorian, Aleksander Hakobyan, Tigran Galstyan, Artur Hovhannisyan, Karine Shahbazian, Sargis Tadevosyan, Mariana Grigorian, Karen Khurshudyan, Hamlet Aroyan, Artak Sergoyan, Rose Casta, Mihran Hunanyan, Hayk Yeghiazazyan, Narek Marutyan and Karen Martirosyan.
December 1, 2020While still bedridden and recovering from COVID-19, Donald Wilson Bush participated in the weekly international ANA Zoom meetings with Kristine and Gurgen. He also began to prepare tax documentation and corporates filing papers to form the Armenian National Association as a legal organization.
December 15, 2020Collaborating with Internet and webtech professionals in New York and Virginia, Bush began to design the prototype for an ANA membership website.
January 2021When the Christmas and New Year holidays passed, COVID infections continued to spread throughout Armenia.
Anti-Pashinyan opposition also started to rise, and all of the positive Spyurk energy from the protests faded away.
For many Armenians, depression and despair over the loss of Artsakh and the casualties of war with Azerbaijan turned into resentment and bitterness against Nikol.
Consequently, thousands of angry protestors throughout Armenia took to the streets calling for Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.
February 2021“The political opposition to Nikol began to get organized,” Donald Wilson Bush explained, “and divisions within the Armenian electorate grew rapidly. This toxic combination of Armenian anger, human ego and political division had a devastating impact on the Spyurk.”
“Within a matter of two weeks, our international ANA Zoom meetings fell apart,” Bush said. “because everybody except Gurgen Mkrtchyan picked a political side and started to argue with each other on Facebook, Instagram and even in public.”
“It was very discouraging to see all the good fruit that had grown on the ANA plant during the protests suddenly thrown to the ground in DISUNITY,” Bush confessed. “For a brief moment I thought the ANA might suffer the same ill fate as all the other Spyurk unity projects that had preceded it!”
But this time it would be different.
In response to the sudden divisions within the ANA founders, Gurgen Mkrtchyan used his cellphone and company boardroom to meet one-on-one with many of the members who had once been very committed to building Spyurk unity with the ANA.
Mkrtchyan asked everyone to step back for a season to allow Donald Wilson Bush and his odar friends some time and distance away from the Armenian infighting in order to complete the ANA structure.
“Donald’s goal,” Mkrtchyan explained, “is to build a new type of organizational structure capable of harnessing the strong Armenian ego without letting individual personalities have enough power to destroy it.”
“I’ve been watching this my whole life,” Mkrtchyan continued, “and I don’t know why we always do this.”
“What the Spyurk needs is a new mentality in the global Armenian community that can separate itself from politics in Armenia,” Mkrtchyan said.
“If the Spyurk really wants to save Armenia and Artsakh it must get unified and organized,” Mkrtchyan continued, “and the only way to get unified to save our homeland is to stop letting Armenian politics to divide us.”
“If the Spyurk really wants to save Armenia and Artsakh it must get unified, and the only way to get unified to save our homeland is to stop letting Armenian politics to divide us.”
“Instead,” Mkrtchyan concluded, “we need to get unified around the globe, focus our attention completely on preserving Armenia, and learn how to play real power politics in all of our adopted countries.”
“This is what the Jews, Turks and Azeris have been doing for decades and now it’s our turn!” Mkrtchyan exclaimed. “Our enemies never let homeland politics to divide their diaspora into different waring camps—and now Armenians can do it too without picking sides.”
In the end, everyone agreed to give Donald Wilson Bush the time he needed to build the ANA without allowing Armenian politics to interfere with the process.”
March 22, 2021The ANA soft launched a website for beta-test.
“The only way to achieve unity within the Diaspora that has any chance of attaining real political power is to create a political membership organization that allows all of its Armenian members to be equal,” Bush explained. “And as you can see from the ANAunite website, the Armenian National Association embodies that unique kind of structure.”
“The strength of the Armenian ego is a positive force that must be directed against its enemies,” Bush continued.
“The strength of the Armenian ego is a positive force that must be directed against its enemies.”
“I see this positive ego strength in my own Hayastanci children. It’s a good thing and all of my Armenian friends and family have it too.” Bush said. “It’s not a bad thing unless it turns inward upon itself.”
“The way we’ve structured the ANA organization allows everyone to be an equal member, and all of the ANA chapters are independent and autonomous,” Bush finished. “You can see this illustrated in the LEADERSHIP page under the ABOUT US tab on the ANAunite navigation bar. Everyone is equal and the centralized ANA administration serves the Spyurk membership—not visa versa.”
March 9, 2021Thousands of opposition supporters blockaded the Armenian parliament building and engaged in arguments and occasional clashes with police to demand for Nikol Pashinyan’s immediate resignation.
April 24, 2021Despite US President Joe Biden’s use of the word “Genocide” in his remarks, the annual day for commemorating the Armenian Genocide was particularly sad this year because Artsakh was not saved after 44 days of war and so many innocent Armenian lives had been lost trying to defend her.
Donald Wilson Bush decided to respect his Armenian family’s tradition of waiting one full year in sacred mourning to honor the lives lost defending Artsakh before the Armenian National Association formally launches its membership organization.
The NEW LAUNCH DATE for the ANA membership START campaign is set for November 10, 2021.
