__NOTOC__ Armenia without Armenians is a phrase with different meanings.

Armenian genocide

Some Armenian and non-Armenian scholars use the phrase in reference to the aftermath of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

of 1915, which left the Turkish-controlled parts of the Armenian homeland without significant Armenian population.

Russian Empire

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several Imperial Russian officials proposed the policy of "Armenia without Armenians", most notably

Aleksey Lobanov-Rostovsky Prince Aleksey Borisovich Lobanov-Rostovsky (russian: Князь Алексе́й Бори́сович Лоба́нов-Росто́вский) ( in Voronezh Governorate – ) was a Russian statesman, probably best remembered for having conclude ...

, foreign minister in 1895–96. During World War I, the Russian army occupied Turkish Armenia with the help of the

Armenian volunteer units The Armenian volunteer units ( hy, Հայ կամավորական ջոկատներ ''Hay kamavorakan jokatner'') were units composed of Armenians within the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. Composed of several groups at battalion streng ...

. In 1916, the Russian government disbanded the Armenian volunteer units. General

Nikolai Yudenich Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich ( – 5 October 1933) was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in Northwestern Russia during the Civil War. Biography Early life Yuden ...

, who led the Russian army into the Armenian-populated areas of the Ottoman Empire during the

Caucasian Campaign The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dict ...

of World War I, proposed a plan of deporting the remaining Armenians from their ancestral homes. The Russian government seriously considered the possibility of repopulating the Armenian lands by Russian peasants and

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

Emigration from Armenia

In the early 21st century, the phrase is often used to refer to emigration from Armenia. In 2009 the Russian government began a migration program, called "Compatriots", which encourages Armenians to settle in Russia. Sociologist Ruben Yeganyan,

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...

veteran Sargis Hatspanyan, and political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan stated that the program leaves Armenia without Armenians. In 2013 Hatspanyan linked what he saw as Russia's policy of an "Armenia without Armenians" to the Armenian government's decision to join the

Eurasian Union The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of some post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The Treaty on the Eurasian Econo ...

and the possibility of a mass emigration to Russia.

References

{{reflist Political terminology Armenian genocide 1910s in Armenia Armenian diaspora in Russia Western Armenia Euphemisms

Armenian genocide

Russian Empire

Emigration from Armenia

See also

References