Analyst doesn’t rule out Turkey’s pressure on Armenian community due to Catholicos lawsuit

The demand of Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia is of major significance because if the court procedures end logically, this can serve as an impetus for us Armenians to not only talk about demands, but also turn them into a reality. This is what Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan said during a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“As far as the potential increase of pressure on the church and the Armenian community of Turkey is concerned, the standards of processes unfolding in the country attest to the fact that the government doesn’t miss any opportunity to place the blame of certain events on the Armenian community. Thus, we can’t rule this out in this case as well, taking into consideration the characteristics of President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his methods of governance in the recent period,” he said.

Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia has filed a lawsuit with the demand that the Turkish government return Antelias to the Catholicosate of Sis located in the territory of historic Cilicia. The trial of the first instance court was scheduled for April 21, but was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus.