Eduard Minasyan: Turkey attempts to appropriate Armenian culture

PanARMENIAN.Net - 7 to 80 thousand Hemshils (Hamshen Armenians) currently reside in Hopa of Western Armenia.

Eduard Minasyan, History Department dean at Yerevan State University, shared his impressions upon return from Western Armenia at a news conference in Yerevan.

“Many Hemshils, though forcefully Islamized, retained their dialect and true religion,” he said.

The expert also visited the village of Vakef (Musa Dagh), where the Armenian population prevailed.

“Vakef Armenians spoke fluent Armenian, attended liturgies at local Armenian churches. Armenian churches operate in Caesarea, Samadai. However, many of those were destroyed to be turned into mosques.”

The expert explained Turkey’s recent tendency of restoring Armenian churches by Ankara’s attempt to create the image of a democratic state in the eyes of international community.

“What Turkey really wants is to appropriate the Armenian culture,” Minasyan said.