Discussion in Turkey's Parliament on the Demolition of the Old Armenian Quarter in Mush

With the active support of Turkish authorities, the erasure of Armenian traces continues. Under the guise of an urban development project by the "Turkish Government Housing Administration" (TOKİ), all historical Armenian houses in the Kale neighborhood of the city of Mush have been demolished, with the exception of one. This was reported by Ermenihaber.am.

In collaboration with the Mush municipality and the mentioned administration, a residential complex has been constructed on the sites of the demolished Armenian houses. It is noted that the decision to demolish the Armenian houses was approved back in 2011 by the Mush City Council.

Representatives from the pro-Kurdish opposition party, the "Peoples' Democratic Party" (HDP), elected from Mush, Shevin Joşkoun and Gülüstán Kılıç Koçyiğit, have placed the issue of constructing a residential complex on the sites of the demolished Armenian houses on the parliament's agenda. They have directed written inquiries to Turkey's Minister of Environment and Urbanization, Murat Kurum, and the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Nuri Ersoy.

The opposition MPs reminded Minister Kurum that until the early 2000s, Armenian houses were preserved in three neighborhoods of Mush: Kale, Dere, and Minare, but were destroyed in 2012 and subjected to erasure from memory.

They demanded that the Minister of Environment and Urbanization respond to the purpose of constructing buildings in these three neighborhoods of Mush and why construction was allowed on the Armenian houses in the Kale neighborhood.

Joşkoun and Koçyiğit also addressed the Minister of Culture and Tourism, noting that the only house that has not been demolished and is still standing in the Kale neighborhood is registered as a "protected cultural asset." They pointed out that despite this decision, the Mush municipality has been creating obstacles for years and does not allow the owner of the house to restore it.

In addition to the aforementioned questions, the opposition MPs posed several more inquiries to Ersoy: Regarding the last remaining Armenian building in the Kale neighborhood of Mush, why is restoration not possible despite its registration? Have there been any inventory work conducted on the cultural values of Mush? How many registered buildings are there in Mush, and how many of these are Armenian churches?

In the last 5 years, how many buildings have been restored in Mush? What are these buildings, and what budget has been allocated for them? What is the registration number of the Armenian house located in Mush province owned by Erjan Çete? Have any works been carried out related to the building (house) in question by the provincial administration of culture and tourism in Mush? Has a report been prepared by our ministry regarding that building? Has it been documented with photographs, mapped, and a registration center created?

Is there a decision from the regional council on the preservation of cultural and natural heritage related to the Armenian house in the city? If there is, what is the date and number of the decision?

It is worth noting that Erjan Çete, a resident born and raised in the Kale neighborhood, has opposed and prevented demolishers from tearing down his house, which has a history of 156 years.