1. Identifying the State of Armenian Migrants in Turkey Investigative Journalistic Research 2009
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6. Focus group with the employers of Armenian workers Z.A, female, 50 years old says: I’m afraid. The house I live in is in Ferikoy district of Istanbul. There’re lots of Armenian families living in there and they all have irregular Armenian immigrant employees. It means we’re very much exposed. Also the people we’re working for are distressed due to the possibility of being informed to the police. I only leave the house in the morning and do the shopping. I haven’t been going out after evening hours for 8 years. Turkish employers state that they have a better communication with Armenian women than Russian or Moldavian women. They also underline the cultural similarities between Turkish people and Armenian people. In their opinion the Armenian people are more honest, modest and have similar point of view on ethical subjects with Turkish people.
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10. Nearly all the Armenian Migrants are planning to return to their motherlands. It`s hard for them to make the return date definite. They are waiting for some economic developments in Armenia which is difficult for them to explain or to guess. A.B., female, 45 years old says: Of course I plan to return to Armenia. But I have no idea about the future. Sometimes I think about it over and over for a few days and I get a great headache, so I don’t want to think about it any more....Our situation is a volunteered exile in one way or maybe not. Listen, I want to tell you something. I don’t make any plans for my future any more. G.A., female, 36 years old `In my spare time....I dream. I dream of the days that I’ll go back to Armenia. I buy presents for my loved ones. Sometimes I write letters to them at night. Plans
11. The children of Armenian migrants can’t go to any public school or Armenian Minority school as they have no Turkish citizenship. Most of these uneducated children spend their lives by playing on the streets. They are prone to have bad habits and develop a criminal personality. M.G., female, 37 years old says: I have considered a lot bringing my children here. But they can’t have any education in here. They would be ruined in here. I don’t want to harm them. I want them to have a proper education. I don’t want them to live a life like mine. For example there are children who were born in here. They can speak neither Armenian nor Turkish properly. They spend all their times on the streets. Children
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Editor's Notes
In the absence of official diplomatic relations between the two countries, there are no governmental means to obtain more in-depth knowledge about Armenian migrants in Turkey. The issue of Armenian citizens working in Turkey has never been discussed in the context of irregular labor in Turkey. It has always possessed a political edge and has been viewed in terms of its prominence for the Turkish foreign policy.