Media: Turkey's Armenians fear for their safety even after Karabakh deal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul’s Armenian community feared for its safety during the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, but Turkish-Armenians and irregular Armenian workers are still concerned about their security, with hate speech against Armenians quickly escalating among Turkish society, political analyst and journalist Alin Ozinian wrote in an article published by Turkish Minute.

Turkey’s “full support” for Azerbaijan, mentioned several times by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also fed into the ultranationalist feelings of Turkish society. The situation has forced some Armenians to move abroad and start a new life for the safety of their children and the future of their families.

Anti-Armenian policy and sentiment served to renew hostility and hatred, which took its final shape in slogans and anger during protests in Turkey targeting Armenians in general and Istanbul-Armenians in particular.

Many Armenians still think demonstrations, during which Turks heaped curses on the Armenians and showed solidarity with Azerbaijan, were “messages” for the citizens of Armenia to leave Turkey.

Nearly 300 irregular Armenian workers, a favorite target of Turkish politicians angry with Armenian genocide bills proposed in foreign parliaments, left Turkey in November.

"The fears of Turkey’s Armenian community did not ease after the ceasefire. Many Armenians still believe the latest protests were attempts to frustrate the community and were provocative acts aimed at repressing the Armenians and giving them a hard time," Ozinian said.

"The Turkish press continues to spread aggressive rhetoric full of hatred against Armenians, while Erdoğan and his “teammates” are fueling Turkey’s totalitarian regime with nationalism and xenophobia."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side is returning all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.