Armenians of Turkey live in atmosphere of fear and mistrustJune 11, 2009 - 19:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian community of Turkey faces numerous problems requiring quick solution, Ruben Melkonyan, specialist in Turkic philology and expert at the Noravank scientific-research center, told to journalists on June 11 in Yerevan. "More than a half of Armenian schools, short of Armenian language teachers, closed in Turkey over the last 30 years. Besides, indifferent state of health of Constantinople's patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian also creates problems for the Armenian community. Appointment of a new patriarch is very urgent for the community," Armenian expert said, adding that there are already candidates for the post of spiritual leader of the Armenian community in Turkey. According to Ruben Melkonyan, Armenians of Turkey treat improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations with care, and with optimism at the same time. "Armenians of Turkey regard themselves to be citizens of Turkey and only then to be Armenians. They are obliged to prove every day, they are exemplary citizens of that country. Besides, they live in the atmosphere of fear and mistrust," the expert said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Pasadena to host Armenian Genocide commemoration event The Pasadena Armenian Coalition will host its community-wide Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event. Armenia: Opposition activist transferred to Investigative Committee Activist Samvel Vardanyan has been accused of insulting the lawmaker Hakob Aslanyan from the ruling Civil Contract party. Former Pashinyan envoy urges end to Genocide speculation Marukyan has urged authorities in Armenia stop discussions about verifying the names of 1.5 million victims. Azerbaijan, Jordan sign deal on defense cooperation Azerbaijan and Jordan have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to an official statement. |