NATIONALISM IN ARMENIA SCARES TURKISH ARMENIANS

Visiting Yerevan within the frames of a campaign called “Ari dun (Come To Your Home)” that is arranged by Armenia, a group of Turkish Armenian stated that the amount of nationalism in Armenia that they have witnessed from time to time, scared them. One of the Armenian descent Turkish citizen who attended to the program, Vartan Esturyan said, “The amount of heroism and nationalism during the classes was disturbing.” Arranged by the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, 21 Turkish Armenian visited Yerevan by the project of ’Ari Dun’. A total of 67 young Armenian from Russia, Georgia, Egypt, Ukrain, France, Syria and Turkey stayed with Armenian families in Yerevan and attended to different programs. Writing his impressions to Armenian journal Agos after he returned to Turkey, Turkish-Armenian Vartan Estukyan stated that they were disturbed because of the amount of nationalism they witnessed there. Estukyan wrote:“If we should consider the lack of information of Turkish Armenians about history, geography and culture of Armenia, this service of Armenian ministry was very important. But for the Turkish Armenians, who come from a country which struggles for more democratization, the amount of heroism and nationalism we witnessed in Armenia was disturbing. Of cource we are in need to learn about our culture, art and history. But one cannot expect us to consent the nationalist rhetoric in Armenia, which we condemn and reject in Turkey. As we witnessed that before, that again unveiled in this program too. As young Armenians from the Muslim countries such as Turkey and Egypt were democrat and moderate, attendants from Christian countries were stronger with their religious and nationalist stance.”
Another attendant, Sayat Tekir touched the same issue, and wrote to Agos;
“Conservative and nationalist inclinations made theirselves felt in the program. Other than that the attitude of one or two officials from Armenian Ministry of Diaspora to the attendants from Turkey was not nice. As that agressive attitude Diaspora Ministry officials annoyed us, we forgot that event with the warm and caring attitude of other officials from Ministry of Armenian diaspora.”