Not ‘Armenians Living Illegally,’ But Rather, ‘Guests’: Kaan Soyak

It would be better to use the term not “illegal residents” but “guests” when referring to Armenians working in Turkey, said Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council co-chair Kaan Soyak in an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi, referring to the now infamous statement by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Armenians who have come to our country are not hiding anywhere, their place of residence is known. They are working here as guests and are assisting their relatives in Armenia ... They are our guests,” said Soyak, adding that Erdoğan’s words about deporting Armenians living in Turkey, regardless of them being said with good intentions, were misunderstood in other countries.

“Our phones haven’t stopped ringing off the hook, after those statements. We try to explain that they were misunderstood,” said Soyak.

Referring to the adoption of the US congressional and Swedish parliamentary resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Soyak said that such bills complicate the Turkey-Armenia rapprochement process.

“We must realize that the most important [thing] for politicians in the United States and in European countries is not Turkey, but rather their constituents. We must resolve our problems ourselves, and not give others the opportunity to make various comments that way,” said Soyak.