© civilnet.am

© civilnet.am

On November 19th, 2014, Romania’s Ambassador to Armenia, Sorin Vasile, gave a lecture at our very own university’s Manoogian Hall, as a part of the “Ambassadorial Lecture Series With EU Member-State Ambassadors and Head of the Delegation to Armenia”.

He visited AUA to talk about the relationship between Armenia and Romania, but the talk went much further. During the Q&A session, Vasile was asked which of the two Romania considers more important: The political and economic ties Romania has with Turkey or the moral importance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide.  His list of answers was simply shocking, I can only imagine how appalled the audience was during those moments.

Vasile answered the question by comparing the morality of recognizing the genocide with the morality of homosexual couples, made a public joke about Jews, and illogically compared the reconciliation between France and Germany with Armenian-Turkish relations.

Guillaume De Chazournes is a journalist and a current assistant-professor at AUA. De Chazournes was present at the lecture and the information above has been accessible to the public because of him.

On December 3rd, De Chazournes’s article with the title ‘Morality’ according to the Romanian Ambassador was published by CivilNet. The article that has more than 2000 views so far has not only made Vasile finally apologize (as he had refused to apologize before), but has most possibly put his career as an ambassador at stake; Vasile has been summoned to Bucharest, Romania. [Find articles below.]

I really admire the work De Chazournes has done; As students of journalism class, we should all learn at least something from him.

http://civilnet.am/2014/12/03/morality-according-to-the-romanian-ambassador/#.VIIAKtKUeSq

http://civilnet.am/2014/12/05/romanian-ambassador-issues-apology-to-armenian-people/#.VIIQhdKUeSo

http://civilnet.am/2014/12/05/romanian-ambassador-summoned-to-bucharest/#.VIIYYNKUeSq