«Մեր մարդը Վարշավայում» - Հարցազրույց Մացեյ Բոխոսևիչի հետ

Armen Khechoyan's article is devoted to an interview with Maciej Bohosiewicz, head of the Federation of Armenian Organizations of Poland, which reveals the current state of the Armenian diaspora in Poland, its historical evolution and institutional formation.

Introduction and Methodology

The material is constructed as a direct dialogue between the coordinator of the "ANIV" project and one of the key figures of Polish-Armenian public life, which makes it possible to trace the history of the community from within, through the personal and organizational experience of the interlocutor.

Historical Background of the "Old" Community

Bohosiewicz describes the fate of the "old" Armenian community, numbering about 5,000 people:

the resettlement of Armenian families after 1945 from territories that became part of the USSR, mainly from Lviv and the eastern regions of former Poland;
the complete disappearance of Armenian presence in Lviv;
the forced concealment of national identity due to repressions by the Soviet authorities up until 1950;
wartime episodes when Armenian priests issued baptismal certificates to Jews, saving their lives.

Religious Revival

Special attention is given to the history of the Armenian Catholic clergy in Poland — from Father Józef Filipiak and Romaszkan to the pivotal figure of Józef Kowalczyk, who organized in 1989 the grand celebration of the Coronation of Our Lady of Łysiec with the participation of the worldwide Armenian episcopate. This event is identified as the turning point in the revival of the religious and cultural tradition of Polish Armenians.

Institutional Development of the Community

The author traces the formation of the organizational structure:

the emergence of the Warsaw "Circle of Those Interested in Armenian Culture" in 1981 thanks to Professor Leon Ter-Oganyan;
the gradual rapprochement of the "old" and "new" (post-Spitak) emigration after 1992;
the creation of the Federation of Armenian Organizations of Poland;
the adoption in 2005 of the law on national minorities, which recognized Armenians as one of the country's thirteen minorities, and the election of Bohosiewicz as their representative.

Scholarly and Political Recognition

The article notes the contribution of Polish researchers of Armenian origin, as well as those without such origin, to the study of Armenian history and culture, along with the community's successful efforts to have the Polish Sejm adopt a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The article's key conclusion is that the consolidation of the "old" and "new" Armenian communities of Poland, the institutional formalization of their activities, and their recognition by the state have been the result of consistent public work built up over decades, culminating in the unity of the diaspora around a nationwide issue — the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.