The issue of migration is of concern to many in Turkey, where the political atmosphere is increasingly tense. At times such as these, we wanted to meet Armenians from Turkey who emigrated to Armenia, the nearest and most distant country at the same time, during the harsh periods of recent history, and report Testimony firsthand. These people, who spoke to us about their lives with the utmost sincerity, are exemplary of the strength of men and their hope in a new beginning.
The tail is long in front of the open counter for flights to Yerevan from Istanbul. Most people waiting to check in their luggage are Armenians, the plane goes to Armenia and almost all passengers speak Turkish. When my eye catches the eye of the clerk, who glances at the tail he sees forming four times in the week, I guess he also poses the question that has long preoccupied him : “All these people go to Armenia. What is going on in the background with Armenia? “.
There are many Armenians who have emigrated from Turkey to Armenia. Some of them went away in the late 1970s, and they were young people who had made up their minds recently. Even though each of them has different motives, hopes and dreams, one thing is certain: on the streets of this formerly Soviet country, we hear very often Turkish and Armenian from the west.
“I was in Turkey when Madimak was destroyed by fire”
Sabri Bey was sitting next to me during the flight; He was an Armenian from Bitlis. In the queue, he was immediately after me, and I offered him the allowable weight of luggage to which I was entitled because he was in surplus. In his hand luggage there were beans and rice for him, kadayif for his younger daughter and filo pastries for his wife Armenian citizen to whom he has been married since 1995. He travels to Istanbul twice a year And bring with him from Turkey all that they lack. Sabri Bey heard what the employee said. He said he heard similar things also in Armenia: “They asked me why I was coming. I replied that it was not their business! “I also asked why and he said,” I was in Turkey when Madimak was destroyed by a fire. “
On his way to Armenia in the 1990s, Sabri Bey had three children, the oldest being less than 20 years old. His two daughters are Armenian citizens and his son is a Turkish citizen. He is exempt from military service in Armenia. His children work in Yerevan and Sabri Bey was the first to introduce drip irrigation systems in this country. They all live in Etchmiadzin.
“Life has brought us here”
However, the first destination of people migrating to Armenia is certainly Yerevan. Everyone we called before taking the road told us a coffee and recommended it as a starting point. The café that Lerna Bahkci Ozder opened in partnership with her husband, is under the sign “Cosi E la Vita”. According to Lena, “La Vita means life. The life that brought us here “.
We left for this country as a result of others who were driven here by life. After a two-hour trip, Nichan came to greet us. Studying history at the Public Faculty since 2013, Nichan is nicknamed “the chief of Yerevan”. He is the one whom all those who come from Turkey know and trust. He will take us to Yerevan and tell us his story. His closest friend, Guevorg, Turkicologist, will be our interpreter, using for this a Turk that is peculiar to him. As soon as he saw me, Guevorg asked me “what motivates the people who come here? Istanbul is the most beautiful city in the world; the best”. As I can not find anything to say to him, he answers his question himself: “They come to live their identity here, that’s why.” He told me that Turcology was the third highest-rated department in Yerevan. Each year, nearly 50 people graduate from this department. And the employment opportunities there are much more numerous compared to other departments. Guevorg makes his life working as an interpreter and adviser. His family is from Yozgat. He was born in Yerevan. He visited many cities in Turkey, but he never went to Yozgat: “I feel a little embarrassed by this situation. I am afraid of being a stranger and that is probably how I will feel. “ After Istanbul, it is Diyarbakir who has his favors. He questions what is happening there and is sorry about it. About the church Sourp Guiragos, he said: “They have destroyed something that belongs to us. Now it’s the state that owns it, but what for? “ Nichan and Guevorg speak Turkish to each other, not Armenian. Nichan said, “I speak the Armenian from the west, and he speaks the Armenian from the east, but the Turkish we are talking about is the same.” After lunch with a fried crouton, we go to Yerevan in a place where Turkish is usually spoken, and I note that Guevorg takes a small glass of vodka.
The Vita team is particularly keen to make Armenia love Armenian cuisine in Istanbul
The reasons for
In Lerna’s life, two days decided to come here. One is April 24, 2011; The day she lost her brother Sevag … Some time ago, they both dreamed of opening a coffee together. Sevag told him, “We’ll open a cafe when I’ve finished my military service.” It serves La Vita the dishes that Sevag loved; The soufflé is one of them. Lerna tells us, “The souffle is called” lava cake “here. We made sure it was appreciated here. They like to eat it. Sevag was also very fond of pastries, but they do not know filo pastries here. We propose them now: I hope they will love them. The dishes with olive oil and “topigs” are not eaten here. They do not know anything about Armenian cuisine in Istanbul. “ She says she came here on a sudden decision and explains how she got there.
Lerna worked in a company organizing demonstrations and her husband Chant was director in an investment company. Their partner Alex Findikoglu is from Perchembé Pazari. Opened six months ago, Cosi E la Vita is located on the favorite avenue of the city; There is a statue of William Saroyan on the other side and the famous Cascade next door; Cascade, a grand staircase, is the most popular tourist spot of Yerevan. Coffee is a kind of association of Armenians in Istanbul. As you can imagine, Istanbul dishes and “mezes” are on the menu. Jewelery dealer Sarkis Hanzovyan sits at another coffee table; He came from Aleppo nine months ago. He came to us when he saw Nichan. In reality, he came to Armenia to marry, but not finding the woman he was looking for, he will go to Latakia. He says “now, there, it’s okay”. He says he feels good to him. He asks me why I am in Yerevan. Having told him my story, he speaks to me in turn of a friend from another city. I ask: “Is he from Istanbul? Can I talk to him? “. He said, “No, he’s from here, he’s an Armenian.” The people in Yerevan do not see the inhabitants of Istanbul as Armenians. Lerna also deplores it. Their coffee and menu need to attract more local customers. In any case, three partners are determined to do so.
A new life, a new hope
Lerna said that when she was in Istanbul she was not part of the Armenian community. After his brother Sevag fell, a victim of a hate crime while doing his military service, she no longer goes to church. “I have lost faith. There were too many unanswered questions. I touched the bottom. “ The other turning in the life of Lerna took place on May 30th 2013 … “It was about two weeks that we had lost Sevag. One day my father said there was no reason to live here. That day, my husband said to my father “You’re going to be grandfather”. Chant and Lerna have been married since 2006. Their plan was to spend the money they earned on trips, and they had not planned to have a child. Lerna said, “I looked at my husband. It was new. That was not possible, my feelings of the moment were at the lowest. He says, “the coming of a child is necessary for them to overcome what happened”. May 30th 2013 is the day of the birth of their little Odin …