Hurriyet, Turkey
March 25 2010

Children of undocumented Armenians may be educated in Turkey

Thursday, March 25, 2010
VERCÄ°HAN ZÄ°FLÄ°OÄ?LU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Children of undocumented Armenian workers, often educated in illegal
underground schools, may soon have hope for better days and better
classrooms. Two top leaders, one from the ruling party and one from
the Armenian patriarchate, say there are plans in the works to make it
easier for these children to enroll as students in legitimate schools

In a seeming dramatic reversal, a top official has hinted at providing
education for children of undocumented Armenians, just days after
Turkey’s prime minister talked of `sending them back to their own
country.’

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s comments about education hit the
headlines of daily Hürriyet on Thursday, leaving some Armenians saying
they feel like they are being used as `political tools,’ while others
praised the move.

`This is a political maneuver,’ said an Armenian who has been working
in Turkey for 14 years as an undocumented household servant and
declined to give her name. `The mentality that raised the possibility
of sending us back [to Armenia] now talks about our children’s right
to have an education here.’

Another undocumented Armenian working at the marketplace in Istanbul’s
Kumkapı neighborhood praised the move, with reservations. `This is a
much-delayed decision. My child is 15 years old now,’ she said, noting
that none of her children have been able to attend school. `But better
late than never.’

The conflicting statements coming from top Turkish officials are
confusing, to say the least, say many undocumented Armenians living in
the country. `I felt like a political tool last week,’ another said,
referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an’s statements about
sending undocumented workers back to Armenia.

`A week later and they are now talking about [education]. Let’s see
what will happen next week,’ she said, also speaking on condition of
anonymity.

Promises from top official

Hürriyet reported Thursday that Archbishop Aram AteÅ?yan, the head of
the spiritual council of the Patriarchate of Armenians in Turkey, had
met with Deputy Prime Minister Arınç. AteÅ?yan said Arınç promised to
act on the education issue.

Arınç told the newspaper that providing education would not only be
good for the children of undocumented Armenians in Turkey, but for
Armenians who are `in Turkey for a reason.’

`Turkey would not be harmed if those children studied in schools too,’
he said. `Personally, I believe that children [of undocumented
Armenians] should be able to go to school, if we look at the issue
from a humanitarian perspective.’

According to Arınç, the prime minister had also expressed some support
for the idea that children of non-Muslims who are living in Turkey
`for a reason’ should be able to study at existing schools for
minorities. Arınç said ErdoÄ?an had entrusted the issue to Education
Minister Nimet �ubukçu.

In December, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review featured a
story on Armenian children receiving education at illegal schools in
Istanbul and asked for a response from AteÅ?yan, who refused to
comment. Meetings similar to the one between Arınç and AteÅ?yan have
subsequently been held behind closed doors, the Daily News has
learned.

Leading names from the Armenian community in Istanbul have reportedly
met recently with government officials, but issued no statement. A
similar meeting will be held between an Armenian businessman from
Istanbul and Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an on Monday, the Daily News has
learned.

No reply from Education Ministry

The manager of an Armenian school in Istanbul, however, told Daily
News that the school had applied to the Education Ministry in November
` along with the managers of 18 Armenian minority schools ` but could
not get a reply on the issue.

Even the sibling of an individual who worked for some time for the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization’s Armenian office was in
the same situation when he was in Istanbul, the manager said, speaking
on condition of anonymity. `[He] applied for two years
[continuously],’ the manger said. `He was considered a tourist in
Turkey. The permission [for his child] was given only when his duty
was almost over.’

Another school manager, who also spoke on condition of anonymity,
characterized Arınç’s statements as the acknowledgement of a right.

`It is not a gift,’ she said. `Children have been deprived of their
right to an education. This is a human rights problem.’