Current Situation
With the departure of Azeris, not only did the Azeri cultural life in Armenia cease to exist, but its traces were being vigorously written out of history, according to journalist Thomas de Waal. In 1990 a mosque located on Vardanants Street was demolished by a bulldozer. Another Islamic site, the Blue Mosque (where most of the worshippers had been Azeri since the 1760s) has since been often referred to as the "Persian mosque" intending to rid Armenia of the Azeri trace by a "linguistic sleight of hand," according to de Waal. Geographical names of Turkic origin were changed en masse into Armenian-sounding ones, (in addition to those continuously changed from the 1930s on) a measure seen by some as a method to erase from popular memory the fact that Muslims had once formed a substantial portion of the local population.
Some Azeris continue to live in Armenia to the current-day. Hranoush Kharatyan, the head of Department on National Minorities and Religion Matters of Armenia, stated in February 2007:
| “ | Yes, ethnic Azerbaijanis are living in Armenia. I know many of them but I can't give numbers. Armenia has signed a UN convention according to which the states take an obligation not to publish statistical data related to groups under threat or who consider themselves to be under threat if these groups are not numerous and might face problems. During the census, a number of people described their ethnicity as Azerbaijani. I know some Azerbaijanis who came here with their wives or husbands. Some prefer not to speak out about their ethnic affiliation; others take it more easily. We spoke with some known Azerbaijanis residing in Armenia but they haven't manifested a will to form an ethnic community yet. | ” |
Read more about this topic: Azerbaijanis In Armenia
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