“Aravot.am” inquired politician Gagik Hambaryan whether there were some data about the number of Armenians living in Turkey as there were many confessions, names were changed. Has any such research been done?
-“In the years of Genocide a large number of Armenians, trying to save their lives, protect their families’ safety, property, accepted Islam and became largely Islamisized Armenians: the Armenians from the south-eastern coast of the Black Sea region of Dersim and Armenians from the South Eastern Turkey. Although they have accepted Islam, but retained their dialects. According to various sources, now there are 5-7 million Islamisized Armenians in Turkey. During the last years large amounts of Islamisized Armenians have been returning to their roots, becoming a Christian”.
To our question how reliable the data was the analyst said that they were published in different studies by the Turkish and American researchers.
– “To say that they are completely true is a little difficult, as you know; it is very difficult to stay an Armenian in Turkey. Armenians are hostages, and it is best felt from Istanbul’s Armenian community`s representatives` speeches: Armenians are treated like they used to be in case with Davutoglu`s former advisor Etienne Mahchupyan. They were forced to make subservient statements for the sake of the Turkish state as it does Patriarch Archbishop Aram Archbishop “.
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According to official data, there are 65 thousand Armenians in Turkey, for the most part, 90% in Istanbul.
– “Approximately 35-40 thousand of Armenian have gone to work in Turkey. I do not believe Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s data that 100 thousand citizens of the Republic of Armenia reside in Turkey, and he constantly threatens that he can deport them. We all know very well that Armenians who live in Turkey are not in good condition as they are doing the hard work. The absence of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Republic of Turkey is a major impediment to the citizens, who live in Turkey “,-says the analyst.
Nune AREVSHATYAN
