RUBEN SAFRASTIAN: HRANT DINK WAS A ROMANTIC, HE BELIEVED THAT TURKEY
CAN BE CHANGED FROM INSIDE

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. There are many
Turks who, while living abroad, criticize the policy conducted by
Turkey, but there are few who, living in Turkey, criticize this
country’s policy, especially in the Armenian issue. Hrant Dink
received many invitations to move to European countries but he
preferred to stay in Turkey. Ruben Safrastian, Director of the RA NAS
Institute of Oriental Studies, said this at the January 20 press
conference.

According to R. Safrastian, Dink was a very courageous man, for years
he was persecuted by the Turkish authorities and was put in prison for
his liberal views. Dink was aware of the threat to his life but, in
his own words, he wasn’t afraid of it. Safrastian noted that Dink was
a romantic beacuse he believed that Turkey can be changed from inside.

In the Turkologist’s opinion, the absolute majority of the Turkish
society is quite far from such values as defence of human rights and
rights of ethnic and religious minorities.
From: Baghdasarian