Number of Armenians Illegally Living in Turkey Only 12,000: Recent Study Reports

The number of Armenians illegally working in Turkey might actually be several times smaller than claimed by the Turkish authorities, reports The Armenian Observer Blog in a blog post last month.

There are between 12,000 and 13,000 Armenian citizens working illegally in Turkey, according to a study by the Eurasia Partnership Foundation, which will be made available to the public next month.

This study is very important, because up until now the Turkish authorities have been claiming there are from 70,000–100,000 Armenians illegally working in Turkey, and using it as a bargaining chip in their bi-lateral relations with Armenia, hinting they might send those illegal migrants back home if Armenia continues to encourage Armenian-Diaspora efforts for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and doesn’t make concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Head researcher Alin Ozinian, an İstanbul native of Armenian descent, worked for two years on the project, which culminated in a 150-page report to be released in Istanbul next month.