Armenia's ethnic minorities facing difficulties in preserving culture

Armenia's ethnic minorities make up something like 3% of the population, and according to this report, they are facing difficulties in preserving their culture.

The Armenian government is currently elaborating a number of concepts to preserve the cultural originality of the country's ethnic minorities. However, the chief of the Armenian government's department for ethnic minorities and religion, Granush Kharatyan, has said that it is difficult for the ethnic minorities of Armenia to preserve their originality simply because there are no areas predominantly populated by them. In addition, she said, international experience testifies to the fact that the preservation of ethnic peculiarities is possible only if the ethnic minorities comprise at least 15-20 per cent of the country's population. Meanwhile, all 11 ethnic minorities living in Armenia comprise only 2.2 per cent of the country's population.

A comprehensive report on Armenia's ethnic minorities was published in 2002 by the OSCE.

THE ETHNIC MINORITIES OF ARMENIA (PDF)

Probably the biggest problem facing Armenia's ethnic minorities is their lack of numbers, which makes it difficult for them to create communities in which to preserve their identity and culture.

Posted by Matt on August 06, 2004 | TrackBack | Email to a friend