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RECOGNITION OR DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DOES NOT CHANGE REALITY FOR ARMENIAN FROM MALATYA
10:27, 24 March, 2015
YEREVAN, 23 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Armenians living in different parts
of Turkey, who after the genocide had converted to Islam and become
Muslims, they are returning to their roots in recent years. One of
the important steps towards the restoration of their own identity is
the fact that they raise the issue of their Armenian identity.
We witness similar incident in Malatya in recent years. Although
there is not a large number of Armenians, nevertheless they speak
courageously about their Armenian identity. "Armenpress" has talked
with the former President of the Union of Armenians of Malatya,
businessman Khosrov Kyoledavitoghlu regarding the return of the
Armenians to their own roots in recent years, as well as other problems
faced by Armenians in Turkey.
- Mr. Kyoledavitoghlu, how many Armenians are living in Malatya? Do
they hide their Armenian identity, or openly talk about it?
- Nowadays the number of Malatya's Armenians, who don't hide their
own identity, is 60. At present, it is unclear how much the number of
Armenians is in the last hundred and fifty years, who voluntarily or
forcibly converted to Islam. Some families know very well about this
fact, but do not talk about it openly.
- What does it mean being Armenian in Turkey?
- Turkey's Armenians have existed for thousands of years; they have
created history, cultural values and they are active in social and
public life. Although after all of this they have felt great pain,
but continued to cling to life. We, the Armenians of Turkey, due to
those, who caused us the pain, as well as representing these things
to the next generation in a totally different way, we have lived as
largely alienated society by the people, with whom we have shared
our life and surrounding. Over time, wider masses became aware of
some truths as a result of the spread of oral history, availability
of the foreign language literature and such other causes.
As a final result, progressively greater public awareness got a huge
strength. Today we have come to the point, when they speak about
the number and the function of the minorities' representatives, who
participated in Canakkale War as Ottoman soldiers. Being Armenian in
Turkey means to be the center of all these processes.
(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
Interview by Araks Kasyan
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/798876/recognition-or-denial-of-armenian-genocide-does-not-change-reality-for-armenian-from-malatya.html
10:27, 24 March, 2015
YEREVAN, 23 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Armenians living in different parts
of Turkey, who after the genocide had converted to Islam and become
Muslims, they are returning to their roots in recent years. One of
the important steps towards the restoration of their own identity is
the fact that they raise the issue of their Armenian identity.
We witness similar incident in Malatya in recent years. Although
there is not a large number of Armenians, nevertheless they speak
courageously about their Armenian identity. "Armenpress" has talked
with the former President of the Union of Armenians of Malatya,
businessman Khosrov Kyoledavitoghlu regarding the return of the
Armenians to their own roots in recent years, as well as other problems
faced by Armenians in Turkey.
- Mr. Kyoledavitoghlu, how many Armenians are living in Malatya? Do
they hide their Armenian identity, or openly talk about it?
- Nowadays the number of Malatya's Armenians, who don't hide their
own identity, is 60. At present, it is unclear how much the number of
Armenians is in the last hundred and fifty years, who voluntarily or
forcibly converted to Islam. Some families know very well about this
fact, but do not talk about it openly.
- What does it mean being Armenian in Turkey?
- Turkey's Armenians have existed for thousands of years; they have
created history, cultural values and they are active in social and
public life. Although after all of this they have felt great pain,
but continued to cling to life. We, the Armenians of Turkey, due to
those, who caused us the pain, as well as representing these things
to the next generation in a totally different way, we have lived as
largely alienated society by the people, with whom we have shared
our life and surrounding. Over time, wider masses became aware of
some truths as a result of the spread of oral history, availability
of the foreign language literature and such other causes.
As a final result, progressively greater public awareness got a huge
strength. Today we have come to the point, when they speak about
the number and the function of the minorities' representatives, who
participated in Canakkale War as Ottoman soldiers. Being Armenian in
Turkey means to be the center of all these processes.
(THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)
Interview by Araks Kasyan
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/798876/recognition-or-denial-of-armenian-genocide-does-not-change-reality-for-armenian-from-malatya.html