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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 19 2012
Romanticizing the future of the Syrian Armenians
by Alin Ozinian*
19 August 2012 / ,
During these hot summer days that the US media calls the `silly
season,' the Turkish media covers the situation of the Armenian
diaspora in Syria indifferently.
Oddly enough in Syria, where 60,000 Armenians live, not a single
Armenian media organization has appointed a permanent representative
or correspondent. Inexplicably, none of the Armenian journalists who
wrote about the situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria have ever
set foot in Syria. The articles from Armenian journalists on the
situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria are based on stories told
by Syrian Armenians coming from Aleppo and Damascus and arriving at
Armenia's Zvartnots airport or the other Syrian Armenians that they
randomly met while drinking tea at cafes.
In fact, most Syrian Armenians that Armenian journalists interviewed
at the airport already hold Armenian citizenship. In other words, they
are Armenian citizens who went to Syria in order to work or marry a
Syrian citizen. One can easily understand this by hearing their
Armenian accents, but no one cares about this. The Syrian Armenians
reporters interview at cafes, just say: `My uncle said they have a
comfortable life there,' or `My aunt said she just came from the
market and there were no clashes there.' In addition to this, many
journalists wrote news stories using the guise of a leader of the
Armenian community in Syria who wished to remain anonymous in order to
make their articles more interesting or convey their own thoughts to
the Armenian government.
The information pollution and countless Arab world experts
On Armenian television channels a new `Arab world expert' is presented
almost every day. We don't know if these people were always there and
waited for this event to make assessments during their professional
lives, but they do their best to make the issue more incomprehensible
by using a unique terminology.
Considering the situation of the Armenian media, the attitude of the
Armenian Ministry for the Diaspora seems much more serious. After a
long silence, the ministry has made a detailed announcement and stated
it will try to help people as much as possible. However, the ministry
has undermined its own creditability by announcing they would have
difficulty hosting refugees if hundreds of thousands Syrian Armenians
immigrate to Armenia after giving the number of Armenian living in
Syria as 60,000.
Since the Armenian media suffers from the ministry's mistakes, the
issue of Syrian Armenians is placed on the top of the list of the
government's fatal errors. According to anti-government media
organizations in Armenia, the government's attitude both creates a
roadblock to Armenia's diaspora policies and highlights Russia's
influence over Armenia. They claimed that Armenia implements the
strategy that Russia imposes on it even when their goals are in
question.
Briefly, information pollution dominates the Armenian media. According
to the Armenian media, the Turkish media unintentionally misleads the
people. The information pollution in the Armenian media leads to the
spread of false information and distorted analysis in the world,
especially when it comes to Turkey.
Mass immigration and other myths
The Armenian news report on a possible mass immigration of the Syrian
Armenians to Armenia immediately became the subject of serious
analysis in the Turkish media. Here are some of the creative,
groundless claims covered by both the Armenian and Turkish media:
Thousands of Syrian Armenians are in line to settle in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Azerbaijani territory controlled by ethnic
Armenian separatists with the support of the Republic of Armenia --
but the Armenian government does not support this. However, the
Armenian government would exert efforts to attract the Armenian
capital in Syria to Armenia.
Syrian Armenians armed themselves and are ready to join the clash.
The Armenian communities in Kesap repelled the opposition forces even
before government forces arrived.
The Armenian government is making serious arrangements in universities
and primary schools to support Syrian Armenian children and university
students. It is offering a discount to Syrian Armenians on flights.
Russia uses Syrian Armenians not only to influence Armenia but also to
exert pressure on Georgia. If there is a mass emigration from Syria,
Russia wants to make sure that they are settled in Georgia's Javakhk
region -- a region where a large number of Armenians already live.
Turkey is doing its best to evacuate the Armenians from the Syria in
order to weaken the Armenian diaspora.
If we want to give fair and reasonable answers to these claims, we
have to accept the reality is quite different than what is presented
in the news.
First of all, the Armenian community in Syria is showing no intentions
of migrating to Armenia en masse. Beginning in the 1980s, the members
of the Armenian community in Syria have migrated to several countries,
particularly to the US and Canada, by using Armenian capital that is
planned to be transferred to Armenia. In other words, Armenians whose
financial status was good enough have not chosen Armenia as the
country they will live in.
In fact, some middle-class Syrian Armenians have applied for Armenian
citizenship. According to the data provided by the Armenian Ministry
for the Diaspora, 3,300 Syrian Armenians have obtained Armenian
citizenship. However, that does not mean all these 3,300 Syrian
Armenians will reside in Armenia. Until now, only 60 Syrian citizens
have wanted help from Armenia and migrated there.
The Syrian Armenians, who are both Syrian and Armenian citizens, are
middle-class Armenians either running businesses in Armenia or holding
an American or European country's citizenship.
Like many of the Armenian diaspora, Syrian Armenians are apolitical
and deem themselves lucky if the turnover of their companies are good.
The reasons why the Armenian groups have acted in favor of Bashar
al-Assad's regime so far is due to Islamophobia triggered by the
Muslim Brotherhood (MB)'s attacks targeting Syrian Armenians in the
past and the pro-status quo mentality of Armenian diaspora.
As is the case in Turkey, the uncertainties of a new regime concerning
the rights of minorities and their loyalty to the secular regime force
Armenians to protect the current situation at the expense of
undermining democracy and human rights. Of course, they provide
passive support. Thus, it is perfectly safe to argue that even
imagining that Syrian Armenians have armed themselves and they are
ready to join the clash is impossible. The only thing they would do is
have some armed watchmen in the regions with a sizable Armenian
population as a precaution against possible attacks.
The aid sent by the Armenian government to Syrian Armenians and
arrangements they reportedly have made are over-exaggerated. They
would not change their university system. Since the Soviet era,
Armenian universities allocate quotas for students of the Armenian
diaspora. The only change is a 20 percent reduction of school fees for
Syrian Armenian students. For a country that others claim has a
serious diaspora policy, asking students who have left their countries
and come to Armenia for higher education to pay more tuition fees
would be a big contradiction. When we turn to claims concerning the
schools, this issue is only a student exchange program that aims to
promote teaming Armenian children from Armenia with children from the
diaspora. The program lasts only 2 weeks.
The diaspora policy that Armenia cannot develop
Although both the Armenian government and the Armenian Ministry for
the Diaspora are trying their best, they neither distribute free
flight tickets nor beg diaspora Armenians to migrate to Armenia.
Armenian Diaspora Minister HranuĊ? Hakopyan has underlined that the
Armenian community should continue to stay in Syria and maintain their
existence there.
The Armenian government has moved the Armenian Embassy in Aleppo to
another district with a considerable Armenian population and allows
the embassy to grant citizenship to Syrian Armenians who previously
applied.
In addition to this, Syrian Armenians are now able to obtain a sticker
visa at the border gates. When we consider that for close to 20 years,
Armenia has given Turkish citizens -- both Turks and Armenians -- a
sticker-type visa at border gates, this is not a big favor.
Given the fact that Armenia has very serious social security and
infrastructural problems, the Armenian government's decision to
provide houses and job opportunities to Syrian Armenians will cause
serious unease within the country. In the end, whether the Armenian
government accepts it or not, they have two serious problems: easing
migration and the economy's recovery. Thus, they can only help the
Syrian refugees in a reasonable way.
The institution that should be concerned about the future of the
Armenian diaspora in Syria and is worth studying is the Armenian
Ministry for the Diaspora. Although the ministry does not accept that
it makes mistakes on this issue, they underlined that they will
accelerate their efforts. Stressing that the subjects of these stories
are human beings, the ministry warned the media to avoid practicing
false journalism. Trying to analyze the developments in Syria and
their impact on Armenia, while including discourses on the Armenian
diaspora in Russia, Georgia and Turkey, only produces conspiracy
theories.
Now, the most ridiculous impact of the pollution of information
concerning developments in Syria is leaving its mark on
Turkish-Armenian relationships. The unfounded claim that Armenia would
resettle Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is spreading. And this
reminds me of the horrifying headlines run by the Turkish media in
response to Turkey's decision to allow religious ceremonies at Van's
Akdamar Church.
Such illusions are useless. Just like diaspora Armenians in New York,
Paris or Buenos Aires, who did not settle in Van after the opening of
Akdamar Church, the diaspora Armenians in Aleppo and Damascus do not
want to live in Nagorno-Karabakh. They visit Nagorno-Karabakh as
tourists and express admiration but they return to Syria.
A realistic perspective would upset those who adopt
romantic-nationalist perspectives on the issue but would relieve the
Turkish and Azerbaijani people. These ridiculous scenarios are far
from realistic and do nothing for the frozen bilateral relations.
*Alin Ozinian is an independent analyst.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-289901-romanticizing-the-future-of-the-syrian-armenians-by-alin-ozinian*.html
Aug 19 2012
Romanticizing the future of the Syrian Armenians
by Alin Ozinian*
19 August 2012 / ,
During these hot summer days that the US media calls the `silly
season,' the Turkish media covers the situation of the Armenian
diaspora in Syria indifferently.
Oddly enough in Syria, where 60,000 Armenians live, not a single
Armenian media organization has appointed a permanent representative
or correspondent. Inexplicably, none of the Armenian journalists who
wrote about the situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria have ever
set foot in Syria. The articles from Armenian journalists on the
situation of the Armenian diaspora in Syria are based on stories told
by Syrian Armenians coming from Aleppo and Damascus and arriving at
Armenia's Zvartnots airport or the other Syrian Armenians that they
randomly met while drinking tea at cafes.
In fact, most Syrian Armenians that Armenian journalists interviewed
at the airport already hold Armenian citizenship. In other words, they
are Armenian citizens who went to Syria in order to work or marry a
Syrian citizen. One can easily understand this by hearing their
Armenian accents, but no one cares about this. The Syrian Armenians
reporters interview at cafes, just say: `My uncle said they have a
comfortable life there,' or `My aunt said she just came from the
market and there were no clashes there.' In addition to this, many
journalists wrote news stories using the guise of a leader of the
Armenian community in Syria who wished to remain anonymous in order to
make their articles more interesting or convey their own thoughts to
the Armenian government.
The information pollution and countless Arab world experts
On Armenian television channels a new `Arab world expert' is presented
almost every day. We don't know if these people were always there and
waited for this event to make assessments during their professional
lives, but they do their best to make the issue more incomprehensible
by using a unique terminology.
Considering the situation of the Armenian media, the attitude of the
Armenian Ministry for the Diaspora seems much more serious. After a
long silence, the ministry has made a detailed announcement and stated
it will try to help people as much as possible. However, the ministry
has undermined its own creditability by announcing they would have
difficulty hosting refugees if hundreds of thousands Syrian Armenians
immigrate to Armenia after giving the number of Armenian living in
Syria as 60,000.
Since the Armenian media suffers from the ministry's mistakes, the
issue of Syrian Armenians is placed on the top of the list of the
government's fatal errors. According to anti-government media
organizations in Armenia, the government's attitude both creates a
roadblock to Armenia's diaspora policies and highlights Russia's
influence over Armenia. They claimed that Armenia implements the
strategy that Russia imposes on it even when their goals are in
question.
Briefly, information pollution dominates the Armenian media. According
to the Armenian media, the Turkish media unintentionally misleads the
people. The information pollution in the Armenian media leads to the
spread of false information and distorted analysis in the world,
especially when it comes to Turkey.
Mass immigration and other myths
The Armenian news report on a possible mass immigration of the Syrian
Armenians to Armenia immediately became the subject of serious
analysis in the Turkish media. Here are some of the creative,
groundless claims covered by both the Armenian and Turkish media:
Thousands of Syrian Armenians are in line to settle in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Azerbaijani territory controlled by ethnic
Armenian separatists with the support of the Republic of Armenia --
but the Armenian government does not support this. However, the
Armenian government would exert efforts to attract the Armenian
capital in Syria to Armenia.
Syrian Armenians armed themselves and are ready to join the clash.
The Armenian communities in Kesap repelled the opposition forces even
before government forces arrived.
The Armenian government is making serious arrangements in universities
and primary schools to support Syrian Armenian children and university
students. It is offering a discount to Syrian Armenians on flights.
Russia uses Syrian Armenians not only to influence Armenia but also to
exert pressure on Georgia. If there is a mass emigration from Syria,
Russia wants to make sure that they are settled in Georgia's Javakhk
region -- a region where a large number of Armenians already live.
Turkey is doing its best to evacuate the Armenians from the Syria in
order to weaken the Armenian diaspora.
If we want to give fair and reasonable answers to these claims, we
have to accept the reality is quite different than what is presented
in the news.
First of all, the Armenian community in Syria is showing no intentions
of migrating to Armenia en masse. Beginning in the 1980s, the members
of the Armenian community in Syria have migrated to several countries,
particularly to the US and Canada, by using Armenian capital that is
planned to be transferred to Armenia. In other words, Armenians whose
financial status was good enough have not chosen Armenia as the
country they will live in.
In fact, some middle-class Syrian Armenians have applied for Armenian
citizenship. According to the data provided by the Armenian Ministry
for the Diaspora, 3,300 Syrian Armenians have obtained Armenian
citizenship. However, that does not mean all these 3,300 Syrian
Armenians will reside in Armenia. Until now, only 60 Syrian citizens
have wanted help from Armenia and migrated there.
The Syrian Armenians, who are both Syrian and Armenian citizens, are
middle-class Armenians either running businesses in Armenia or holding
an American or European country's citizenship.
Like many of the Armenian diaspora, Syrian Armenians are apolitical
and deem themselves lucky if the turnover of their companies are good.
The reasons why the Armenian groups have acted in favor of Bashar
al-Assad's regime so far is due to Islamophobia triggered by the
Muslim Brotherhood (MB)'s attacks targeting Syrian Armenians in the
past and the pro-status quo mentality of Armenian diaspora.
As is the case in Turkey, the uncertainties of a new regime concerning
the rights of minorities and their loyalty to the secular regime force
Armenians to protect the current situation at the expense of
undermining democracy and human rights. Of course, they provide
passive support. Thus, it is perfectly safe to argue that even
imagining that Syrian Armenians have armed themselves and they are
ready to join the clash is impossible. The only thing they would do is
have some armed watchmen in the regions with a sizable Armenian
population as a precaution against possible attacks.
The aid sent by the Armenian government to Syrian Armenians and
arrangements they reportedly have made are over-exaggerated. They
would not change their university system. Since the Soviet era,
Armenian universities allocate quotas for students of the Armenian
diaspora. The only change is a 20 percent reduction of school fees for
Syrian Armenian students. For a country that others claim has a
serious diaspora policy, asking students who have left their countries
and come to Armenia for higher education to pay more tuition fees
would be a big contradiction. When we turn to claims concerning the
schools, this issue is only a student exchange program that aims to
promote teaming Armenian children from Armenia with children from the
diaspora. The program lasts only 2 weeks.
The diaspora policy that Armenia cannot develop
Although both the Armenian government and the Armenian Ministry for
the Diaspora are trying their best, they neither distribute free
flight tickets nor beg diaspora Armenians to migrate to Armenia.
Armenian Diaspora Minister HranuĊ? Hakopyan has underlined that the
Armenian community should continue to stay in Syria and maintain their
existence there.
The Armenian government has moved the Armenian Embassy in Aleppo to
another district with a considerable Armenian population and allows
the embassy to grant citizenship to Syrian Armenians who previously
applied.
In addition to this, Syrian Armenians are now able to obtain a sticker
visa at the border gates. When we consider that for close to 20 years,
Armenia has given Turkish citizens -- both Turks and Armenians -- a
sticker-type visa at border gates, this is not a big favor.
Given the fact that Armenia has very serious social security and
infrastructural problems, the Armenian government's decision to
provide houses and job opportunities to Syrian Armenians will cause
serious unease within the country. In the end, whether the Armenian
government accepts it or not, they have two serious problems: easing
migration and the economy's recovery. Thus, they can only help the
Syrian refugees in a reasonable way.
The institution that should be concerned about the future of the
Armenian diaspora in Syria and is worth studying is the Armenian
Ministry for the Diaspora. Although the ministry does not accept that
it makes mistakes on this issue, they underlined that they will
accelerate their efforts. Stressing that the subjects of these stories
are human beings, the ministry warned the media to avoid practicing
false journalism. Trying to analyze the developments in Syria and
their impact on Armenia, while including discourses on the Armenian
diaspora in Russia, Georgia and Turkey, only produces conspiracy
theories.
Now, the most ridiculous impact of the pollution of information
concerning developments in Syria is leaving its mark on
Turkish-Armenian relationships. The unfounded claim that Armenia would
resettle Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is spreading. And this
reminds me of the horrifying headlines run by the Turkish media in
response to Turkey's decision to allow religious ceremonies at Van's
Akdamar Church.
Such illusions are useless. Just like diaspora Armenians in New York,
Paris or Buenos Aires, who did not settle in Van after the opening of
Akdamar Church, the diaspora Armenians in Aleppo and Damascus do not
want to live in Nagorno-Karabakh. They visit Nagorno-Karabakh as
tourists and express admiration but they return to Syria.
A realistic perspective would upset those who adopt
romantic-nationalist perspectives on the issue but would relieve the
Turkish and Azerbaijani people. These ridiculous scenarios are far
from realistic and do nothing for the frozen bilateral relations.
*Alin Ozinian is an independent analyst.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-289901-romanticizing-the-future-of-the-syrian-armenians-by-alin-ozinian*.html