Mount Ararat is in Turkey. But it will always belong to the Armenian soul, says Vartan Oskanian
The Pashinyan government’s recent decision to remove the image of Mount Ararat from the stamps of passport control, along with whispers that it may soon erase it from Armenia’s coat of arms, marks a troubling moment in our national story. This is not merely a matter of design or symbolism. It is about dignity, history, and identity, Vartan Oskanian, Former Foreign Minister of Armenia, writes.
“Mount Ararat is visible from nearly every corner of Yerevan and beyond. Its snow-capped peaks dominate our skyline, our memory, and our imagination. For Armenians, Ararat is not just a mountain across the border in Turkey; it is the heart of our heritage. It is etched on the Armenian coat of arms, carved into church stones, painted on our walls, and displayed in almost every Armenian home around the world. It is the mountain of Noah’s Ark, where, according to the Book of Genesis, humanity restarted after the flood. In Armenian lore, it is also where Noah descended to settle on the territory that is now Armenia. Furthermore, with Armenians being the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, no other symbol so perfectly unites Armenia’s faith, history, and identity.
That Ararat today lies on Turkish soil does not diminish its place in Armenian culture and identity. Symbols are not about jurisdiction; they are about belonging. To erase Ararat from our official documents and symbols is to sever Armenians from their deepest roots. And to do so under pressure from Turkey, as appears to be the case, is a dangerous act of appeasement.
No one can reasonably claim that Armenia’s use of Ararat on its coat of arms or stamps constitutes a territorial claim on Turkey. The world is full of similar examples. Ireland, Greece, and India, to name a few, use images that symbolize territories beyond their current state borders. No responsible government should allow another state to dictate its state and cultural symbols. The presence of Ararat on our coat of arms and in our public life is not an act of defiance; it is an affirmation of identity. Armenia has every right to keep it there, just as Armenians in every corner of the diaspora have the right to hang its image in their living rooms.
The irony is that symbols like Ararat could, in a wiser political climate, be bridges rather than barriers. Turkey could acknowledge that Armenians have a special relationship with Ararat without seeing it as a threat. Indeed, recognizing the depth of that bond could be an act of reconciliation, not division. But reconciliation requires honesty and respect, not the erasure of what Armenians hold most dear.
In the end, this is not only about passports, stamps, or coats of arms. It is about whether Armenia will stand firm in preserving its own identity or allow that identity to be edited by others. A government that asks its people to give up their most cherished symbols in the name of diplomacy is not leading; it is submitting.
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. But it will always belong to the Armenian soul. No decree, no erased stamp, no redrawn coat of arms can change that truth. And a government that forgets this truth is not appeasing its neighbor—it is betraying its people,” Oskanian writes.
