Türkiye’s current authorities seek to avoid problems with Istanbul’s Armenian community, says Naira Mkrtchyan

Naira Mkrtchyan, editor-in-chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian daily Nor Marmara, believes the Global Armenian Summit held in Yerevan was an extremely important event for bringing diaspora communities together around their homeland and strengthening ties.

Speaking to an Armenpress correspondent, Mkrtchyan discussed the summit’s proceedings, key issues on its agenda, concerns facing Istanbul’s Armenian community and the process of normalising Armenian–Turkish relations.

“Unfortunately, circumstances prevented me from attending the first summit, but this one was truly exceptional for me in terms of what I discovered. I met many new colleagues, and we had genuinely useful discussions on important issues. Although those discussions lasted for hours, they were not at all boring. I was invited as a speaker myself. I would particularly highlight the discussion involving Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council Alen Simonyan. He agreed to let everyone present ask him the questions that concerned them. There was no time limit, unlike the discussion with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, when only six questions were put to him. It was certainly beneficial for us to receive answers to important questions from Alen Simonyan. That discussion, like all the others, took place in a packed hall,” Mkrtchyan said.

She added that most influential diaspora Armenians had attended the summit and were interested in Armenia’s foreign policy priorities and issues concerning Armenia–diaspora cooperation. In her view, organising such a summit was important for bringing diaspora communities closer to Armenia and finding common ground on important issues.

She said her presentation concerned documenting the history of Istanbul’s Armenian community.

“We have no specialist or institution in Istanbul producing a comprehensive history. Armaveni Miroghlu has defended a dissertation, but her subject concerns only the 1930s. Another member of the community, Sirvard Malkhasyan, is also writing a dissertation. Her thesis concerns the events of 1918–1923. So we have no body documenting the entire history of Istanbul’s Armenian community. Armenian publications try to fill that gap. We also have a weekly and a monthly publication, as well as Luys television, which broadcasts news programmes daily. In 50 or 100 years, anyone wishing to learn about the history of Istanbul’s Armenians or conduct research on particular subjects will certainly be able to use the media’s chronicles as a valuable source,” the Nor Marmara editor-in-chief said, noting that the newspaper was marking its 87th anniversary this year.

She said Istanbul’s Armenian community remained vibrant, describing it as one of the oldest communities in the Armenian diaspora, with established, well-organised institutions.

“The Armenian diaspora faces the challenge of preserving Armenian identity today, so the summits organised in Yerevan are extremely important platforms for discussing such issues. We plan to publish a series of articles in our newspaper about our active compatriots who came from many countries. Such summits bring Armenians around the world closer to their historic homeland and encourage cooperation. Incidentally, many people were interested in Istanbul’s Armenian community. We had the opportunity to shed light on many issues and present the community’s everyday life. Talking is better than remaining silent or engaging in fruitless arguments, and we had ample opportunity to make use of a platform that was beneficial to us,” she said.

Mkrtchyan said preserving cultural and ethnic identity was a priority for Istanbul’s Armenians today. The Armenian Patriarchate heads the community and provides spiritual leadership. Although it brings Istanbul’s Armenians together, many envisage their children’s futures abroad, and some therefore emigrate, leaving Istanbul with their families.

“Language is what preserves our identity abroad, so speaking Armenian is given considerable attention and importance within the community. Wherever we go, we proudly point out that Istanbul has 17 Armenian day schools with a century-long history. After the 1960s, many Armenians came to Istanbul from Türkiye’s provinces, but they had not received an Armenian education. Speaking Armenian at home, within the family, is one thing; learning it at school is quite another. If family members do not speak Armenian, unfortunately the language remains within the school walls and children communicate in Turkish,” she said.

Turning to relations between Istanbul’s Armenian community and Türkiye’s current authorities, Mkrtchyan said there had been some progress.

“Our community properties, which were seized by the republican leadership in the 1930s, are gradually being returned. We regained possession of them under the EU-related reforms of 2002, as Türkiye’s ruling political force had adopted a policy of seeking EU membership. Everyone who presented the relevant ownership documents to the Turkish authorities received a satisfactory response and had their claims met. Today, Türkiye’s authorities are trying to avoid problems with Istanbul’s Armenian community. The heads of our community institutions have also learnt how to engage with the authorities,” the Nor Marmara editor-in-chief explained.

She believes Armenia should organise visits to their historic homeland for diaspora children.

“After his first visit to Armenia, my son returned a completely different person, having discovered his homeland and reconsidered his identity. His visit was an important achievement for me too. If pupils at Istanbul’s Armenian schools, some of whom live in difficult social circumstances, had the opportunity to make such group visits, the positive impact would be far greater. There should be many such programmes, whereas our children form their understanding of their historic homeland through news broadcasts or newspaper reports,” she said.

Discussing attitudes within Turkish society towards issues concerning the Armenian community, Mkrtchyan stressed that she supported breaking down stereotypes.

“You know that Türkiye has an official position and political line on recognition of the Armenian Genocide, while Turkish society is divided into two or three groups. Some people believe the issue should be discussed more. There are quite a few people who want to confront their history. Others hold extremist views. After Hrant Dink’s murder, many began taking an interest in and studying the Armenian question, making discoveries for themselves. Such progressive circles also exist, and intellectuals are among them. But not all Turks have yet come to terms with their history,” she said.

Mkrtchyan welcomed the initiative to normalise Armenia–Türkiye relations, adding that opening the borders would further strengthen cooperation between the two peoples and resolve many difficult issues. She stressed that Istanbul’s Armenian community was looking forward to the borders opening and believed that the security of a peaceful, steadily developing Armenia was also a guarantee of its own security.