Anna Touray: is not easy to be a national minority in any country, it
is particularly difficult in Turkey

27.03.2010 16:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It is not easy to be a minority in any country, and
it is especially difficult in Turkey, " Anna Touray a founder of the
Agos Armenian-Turkish newspaper told PanARMENIAN.Net.

According to her, the Armenian community of Istanbul has been closely
monitoring the Armenian-Turkish normalization. "The Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement has inspired the Armenians of Istanbul. We started
talking openly about the problems that were heretofore merely silent.
It was impossible to imagine 3-4 years ago. We feel that the
Armenian-Turkish normalization will be favorable to us, "
representative of the community said.

Assessing the overall situation of the Armenian community, Anna Touray
said that the Turkish authorities have not yet been able to meet the
needs of Turks, and the problems of national minorities still remain
unresolved. "Our main problem is the economic situation. Our schools,
churches and organizations are experiencing a shortage of means. Most
of the Armenian churches simply do not work, because they cannot pay
taxes, but the state should assist them. The same situation prevails
in the Armenian schools," she said.

Anna Touray said, the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Armenian
Apostolic Church has not been able to unite the Armenian community.
"The Turkish authorities do not exert pressure on the community and
patriarchy, but, despite this, our community is today in a shameful
situation. As a religious center, Patriarchy cannot adequately respond
to the challenges of our community, because they lack financial
resources," she said.