Diaspora's main problem is maintenance of Armenian languageSeptember 18, 2008 - 15:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian community of Istanbul tries to resolve problems both on state and community levels, Ara Kochunyan, editor-in-chief of Zhamanak Istanbul-based Armenian-language newspaper, said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net "We have a hospital and a school under the aegis of the Constantinople Patriarchate. The EU urged Turkey to return constructions belonging to national minorities. We are allowed to build and reconstruct houses and churches. In two or three years we will have new houses. Life in a community helps to preserve faith, tradition and language," he said. The main problem is maintenance of the Armenian language, according to him. "An entire generation can hardly understand and speak Armenian. That is why most of the newspapers are bilingual. Asbarez newspaper has been an exception until recently but now it's published in three languages: Armenian, English and Spanish. Otherwise, no one will buy Armenian press. During 100 years of existence, our newspaper didn't lose readers. We present various viewpoints about the events taking place in Armenia and Diaspora," Kochunyan said. The Armenian community of Istanbul numbers 60-70 people. Some 40 churches throughout Turkey are under the authority of the AAC Constantinople Patriarchate. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |