Turkey's Only Armenian Village Completely Destroyed After Earthquake

Oral Çalışlar, a columnist for the Turkish newspaper 'Posta', has reported on the situation in the only Armenian village in Turkey, Vakifli, following the recent earthquake. This was reported by ermenihaber.am.

Village mayor Perch Kartun told Çalışlar that the village has been completely destroyed. He mentioned that there are 35 houses in the village with a population of about 130 people. Immediately after the earthquake, 30 women and children were transported to Istanbul on a bus sent by the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Sahak Mashalian. Twenty people went to visit relatives in Iskenderun.

“The population of this village is gradually decreasing. The earthquake caused significant devastation. State support is necessary to prevent this village from disappearing,” he stated. He noted that 15 houses have been severely damaged, as well as the church. Currently, they have about 25 tents where they are living. He emphasized that assistance is coming from all sides, with help starting to arrive on the fourth day, and expressed gratitude to benefactors and officials.

“From now on, we expect assistance from the state. How will the destroyed houses be rebuilt? With monetary assistance or in other ways? We need to create opportunities that will prevent people from leaving this village. To stop the migration of villagers, we must first address the issue of housing. We are making efforts to keep the only remaining Armenian village in Turkey standing. We ask for help from everyone. We have experienced a very great disaster,” the mayor stated.