INHABITANTS OF ARMENIAN-POPULATED VILLAGE IN TURKEY CONSIDER RULING
PARTY MORE WORLDLY THAN OTHERS

ANKARA, JUNE 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The inhabitants of the Armenian-populated
village Vakefl consider the "Justice and Development" Turkish
pro-Islamic ruling party more worldly than the rest of the Turkish
parties. This information was provided by the Daily Zaman quoting the
Reuters agency.

Gareth Jones, a journalist of the English agency, conducted a survey in
the Armenian-populated village Vakefl concerning the coming
parliamentary elections to be held in Turkey. Most of the Armenian
villagers mentioned that the "Justice and Development" party has tried
to help the national minorities living in Turkey: "This government has
done a lot to help us. It gives great significance to freedom of
religion," declared a 76 year-old inhabitant of the village Hanna Bebek.

The Reuters journalist mentions that in the past the Christian
population of Turkey voted more often for the democratic-republican
party, which is currently nationalistic.

Gareth Jones also mentioned the fact that the Archbishop Mesrop
Mutaphian, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, declared in his
interview with the German journal Der Spiegel that the Armenian
community in Turkey will vote for the "Justice and Development" party.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress