Safety of local Armenians is under attack in Turkish-Kurdish clashes: Expert in Turkish studies
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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. It is not excluded that Kurdish-Turkish clashes may lead to security problems for local Armenians. Anush Hovhannisyan expressed such an opinion in the interview with “Armenpress”. “Problems are not excluded for Armenians in terms of security. It must be taken into account. Experience shows that whenever the situation is tense in Turkey, national issue is getting worse and the factor of local Armenians is mentioned. During Turkish-Kurdish clashes there are calls that you are not the Kurds but Kurdified Armenians. The Armenians are mentioned every time in these cases. In such cases, each time until today, Armenians are perceived as a hostile element consciously or subconsciously. Consequently, the security factor refreshes in the case of national obsession,” Anush Hovhannisyan said.
Armenian community maintains neutrality in the background of Turkish-Kurdish clashes, which, according to her, is a right decision. “As the local Armenian community does not have influential leverages, there is no other option than to maintain neutrality In this case,” Anush Hovhannisyan said.
Referring to the situation in those regions and clashes with Kurds, Anush Hovhannisyan said that the situation is extremely tense, but not yet out of control. Turkish authorities try to control it, of course, with its usual method; by force.
The expert said that Russia is trying to use the Kurdish factor. The visit of Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of thepro-Kurdish Peoples'Democratic Party and his meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks about that.