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17.01.2013

ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

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Tigran Ghanalanyan
Expert, the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation

The Armenian community in the Czech Rep. is one the newly formed Armenian communities in Europe. The study of the community has some peculiarities which are conditioned by the fact that the latter considerably differs from the traditional Armenian communities in Europe.

Formation of the community

According to the figures presented by the Czech Statistical Office for 2009, the number of the Armenians in the Czech Rep. was about 20251; meanwhile, according to the official Czech data for 2005 their number was only 1046.

According to the official figures of the Embassy of Armenia in the Czech Republic for 2010 there are approximately 3500 Armenians living in that country, and more than 2000 of them have residence permit and 1500 more have temporary residence permit2. According to the experts’ assessments the number of the Armenians in the Czech Rep. is about 10 thousand people. If we take into consideration the fact that the official Czech statistics takes into account only people with citizenship, it becomes clear why the official figures are several times lower: 1) there are many Armenians who are the citizens of other countries living in the Czech Rep., 2) part of the Armenians have not become naturalized yet. Most of the Armenians as well as the representatives of other notational minorities mainly reside in Prague. At a rough estimate about 80% of the Armenians in the Czech Rep. live in Prague3. Brno is the next. There are Armenians living in Mlada Boleslav, Ostrava, Jihlava, Leberec, Karlovi Vari, Libey Usti cities.

Except for the Armenian merchant Gevorg of Damascus son of Astvatsatur4 who lived and worked in the Czech Lands in the 18th century, the first Armenians settled in there in 1910s. Some Armenians were engaged in manufacturing. Thus, e.g., Artin Aslanyan ran the first carpet manufacturing firm5. The article by A. Bakhchinyan6, devoted to the Armenian students who studied in the higher educational establishments in Prague in 1920s and which describes the life of the Armenian students, activity of the organizations established by them is remarkable, Despite the fact that more than 50 Armenian students got education at the higher educational establishments in the Czech Lands, in the future they were spread over the Armenian communities in different countries and the Armenian community life which arose in the Czech Lands soon extinguished.

Despite these aforementioned separate episodes of the Armenian community life in the Czech Lands, there had been no Armenian community there until the late 1980s early 1990s. The Armenians have been settling there since 1980s. The influx of the immigrants from Armenia intensified especially in 1990s and drew to a head in 1990-1993. It was mainly caused by the social and economic problems. Giving preference to the Czech Republic by the migrants from Armenia had many preconditions. One of those preconditions was the fact that the Czech Rep. situated in the Central Europe and in the recent past it was a socialist country and the Armenians coming there migrated from other post-Socialist countries (Armenia and other post-Soviet republics). Besides, there was another circumstance which was conditioned by the memories of the past – there were many Armenians from the USSR who visited the Czech Rep. as tourists and they were conversant with this country. Naturally they should prefer the country which is situated in the center of Europe, is well-known by them, and has some peculiarities which are characteristic to the post-Soviet countries and due to which the process of adaptation and integration seemed to be much easier. It should also be mentioned that migration legislation in the Czech Republic is more liberal as compared to many western countries. This is conditioend by the emigration from the Czech Rep. to the countries of Western Europe which caused the labour shortage (high-quality, intellectual labour). In the 1990s among the immigrants in the Czech Republic a prominent place was hold by the migrants from the post-Soviet republics.

While speaking about the migration flow of the Armenians to the Czech Republic the circumstance that many emigrants considered the Czech Rep. as a kind of a “transit station” where they can settle for a short time and after that leave for a country with higher living standards should be mentioned. Many of the Armenians living in the Czech Rep. at first tried to settle in the United States and Western Europe but after they had failed they preferred to move to the Czech Republic.

Among the migration issues of the Armenians in the Czech Republic an important place is given to the issue of the refugees. In the period from 1991 to 2003 3093 Armenians applied for asylum and only 149 of them (4.8%) won that refugee status. And in 2005-2006 the share of the Armenians among the asylum seekers was 1-2%. It is much easier for the Armenians to obtain citizenship of the Czech Republic. The highest rate of those who obtained the citizenship was in 1999-20007. It should be mentioned that the rate of illegal migration among the Armenians is rather high.

Main peculiarities of the community

There are a number of peculiarities inherent in the newly formed Armenian community in the Czech Republic; these peculiarities are conditioned by the facts that the community is newly formed and scares in number. Many mechanisms which are efficient in the rich in traditions and big Armenian communities have no practical preconditions for being used in the Armenian community in the Czech Republic. E.g. if in the traditional Armenian Diaspora communities the church, public, political, cultural educational organizations, which have their centers and brunches, have been providing rather efficient activity for decades (and in some cases even for centuries), it is obvious that they do not have the same conditions of practical application in the Czech Republic. It is conditioned by the fact that the community is newly formed and small which is supplemented by the reasons or motives why the Armenians settled there. If traditional Armenian Diaspora (which mostly consists of the generations of the Armenians who had been spread all over the world in consequence the Armenian Genocide) can be characterized to some extent by the aspiration to preserve and to develop national values, then those who left the country in recent 20 years due to economic reasons notably fall behind in this aspect. Hence it follows that there is a problem of rising the qualitative level of acknowledgment of the priority of preserving national values and identity in the newly formed communities, e.g. in the Czech Republic. However, at the same time it is also obvious that the solution of these problems only by means of the mechanisms inherent in the traditional Armenian communities is not that efficient. So it is necessary alongside with the traditional ones to use new methods directed to the solution of the problems. In this aspect using of the information resources and possibilities is of utmost importance. It does not derive from the aforementioned methods are not applicable in the traditional communities but in case with the Armenian community in the Czech Republic their application is much more topical because, nevertheless, in the traditional communities there are old organizations and mechanisms which, though by force of a habit, are to some extent efficient.

Rather fast adaptation and integration are one of the characteristic issues of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic. Considerable number of the Armenians managed to carry out business activity. In this regard S. Sumlyoni writes: “The overwhelming majority of Armenians run their own business, primarily small food stores, shoe-making and dress-making shops. Jewelry business is also very popular in the Armenian community. The percentage of the unemployed among Czech Armenians is below 5%. It is interesting that only half of the Armenians who are hired employees work for Czech companies. The rest of the Armenians who are hired employees work either for foreign companies or formally Czech companies, however, with predominantly Armenian management or staff”8. Besides the solution of the issue of the housing is also important condition. Most of the Armenians either buy or rent apartments.

Despite the positive process of the integration of the Armenians there is some kind of negative attitude towards the immigrants. But this is true not only for the Armenian community but for the foreigners in general. In particular, this migration is identified in some regions of the Czech Rep. with fear of the lawlessness and crime wave.

Fast integration of the Armenians is also conditioned by the language issues. The Russian language is to some extent spread in the Czech Republic which makes the communication in all the spheres much easier. The young Armenians easily learn the Czech language. It is also conditioned by the character of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic; the scarcity of the community organizations, their imperfection as well as smallness of the community has negative effect. In consequence very often the Armenians go beyond the community framework and establish connections with the immigrants from other post-Soviet republics.

Community organization

The community organizations play important role in the life of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic. Though they cannot provide active intra-community life, nevertheless, they carry out some activity in this direction. In case of continuous development of this activity it will be possible to obtain anticipated result. Among the intra-community units “Armenia” club, “Armenian House” union, Prague and Brno Saturday Armenian schools as well as Armenian mass media – “Orer” and “Nairi” periodicals and Armenian Service of “Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty” can be mentioned. The Armenian community life is sometimes covered by Radio Prague within the framework of “Multicultural Czech Republic” programme.

In 1995 Sergei Grigoryan set up the Czech-Armenian Society. But it could not justify expectations, i.e. uniting all the Armenians living in the Czech Rep., dealing with the issues of relations with the Czech society, information policy, protection of the rights of the Armenian minority, etc. The society hardly yielded any tangible results. Its activity was soon restricted to Prague only. Every year the Society regularly holds memorial events devoted to the Armenian Genocide. One of the most tangible achievements was that in 2001 the Society managed to organize a meeting of the Czech Armenians with Armenia’s Consul in Vienna following which a number of problems on cooperation between the Government of Armenia and the Armenian community in the Czech Republic were resolved. Another Armenian organization – the «Civil Commonwealth Armenian House» turned out to be more successful. Both Czech Armenians and Armenians living in Armenia and, more importantly, the Czechs interested in the Armenian culture can join it. In 2007 it had 60 members (21 Czechs and 10 more persons who are neither citizens of the Czech Republic, nor Armenia). The «Civil Commonwealth Armenian House» provides legal counseling to migrants, primarily on migration law. Those who wish may take computer classes or obtain other skills that will help them find a better paid job. Since 2002 the organization has been publishing “Nairi” magazine which also covers the issues of legal protection of the migrants9.

Among the Armenian organizations in the Czech Republic “Armenia” Club headed by Tigran Abrahamyan as well as “Urartu” Armenian-Czech Union headed by Aleksandr Sargsyan are worth mentioning.

Special place is assigned to the Saturday Armenian schools in Prague and Brno, activity of which we covered in a separate study10.

Since September 1999 “Orer” monthly has been published in Prague. It is published by Caucasus-Eastern Europe Information Center – Editor-in-Chief Hakob Asatryan. This periodical covers cultural, political and social, sport and community life of more than 30 Armenian communities in Europe. Besides Armenia-Europe relationships, it spotlights Armenian-Czech relations, problems of the Armenians living in the Czech Republic and other European countries11. While speaking about the issues relating to the Armenian community in the Czech Republic, Editor-in-Chief of “Orer” magazine H.Asatryan says: “Though we have Saturday schools, we have a priest, but the community does not have community center where people can come, gather; this issue is already under the discussion”12. On November 20, 2009 the 10th anniversary of “Orer” magazine was celebrated.

Community life

The development of the Armenian-Czech relations in both state and various other formats plays important role in the life of the Armenian community. Thus, on May 18, 2010 the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II received a visit of the Czech prime-minister. They discussed the spiritual issues of the Czech Armenians. The Catholicos particularly mentioned: “…The Armenian community is being formed in the Czech Rep. either and we are convinced that in the near future our sons in the Czech Republic will be able to build their own house of prayer and faith, thus assisting to the making and prosperity of the Czech state”13.

An important role in the life of the community is allotted to the organization of the events in memory of the Armenian Genocide. Thus, on April 24, 2005 300 Armenians participated in the protest action in memory of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The participants addressed an appeal to the Czech parliament14. A number of events in the memory of the Armenian Genocide were held in 2010 either. Mass for soul was said in Prague which was followed by commemoration meeting in the library hall and after that the exhibition of the Armenian painters “In Commemoration: 95 Years On” was opened. Besides the members of the Armenian community, the political, public, spiritual, cultural figures from the Czech Rep. and other countries were also present at the events. The fact that the events were not only restricted to Prague is also crucial. Liturgy was served in Brno by the priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Czech Republic father Barsegh Pilavchyan which was followed by the meeting of the members of the Armenian community in Brno with Armenian Ambassador A. Hovakimyan15. An important role in the organization of the events was played by “Armenia” club, A. Hovakimyan, father Barsegh Pilivchyan, members of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic. In 2011 the events in memory of the Armenian Genocide stood out for their diversity. This time they also included the representatives of different organizations of the Armenian community, representative of Czech intelligentsia, spiritual and cultural figures16. In 2012 the Czech Armenian community just like many other Armenian communities organized protest actions connected with the extradition of R. Safarov to Azerbaijan. A protest action was arranged in front of the Hungarian embassy in the Czech Republic with the demand to arrest the criminal again and to recognize the independence of the NKR17.

Strengthening of the relations of the Czech Armenians with their motherland is of great importance. The role of the extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic Armenia to Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia Ashot Hovakimyan was remarkable in the life of the Armenian community18. On June 30, 2011 Tigran Seyranyan was appointed extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Hence, various Armenian state, public, academic, educational, cultural organizations still have a lot of work to do for strengthening the relations and promoting the development of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic.

In the aspect of the development and attaching weight to the Armenian community the raising of the role of the Armenians here is emphasized. From this point of view involvement of the Armenians in science and cultural, sport19 and other spheres is important.

In recent years some members of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic have become winners of various sport and music contest. E.g. Aramais Tohkyan – the Czech karate champion, Monica Harutyunyan – silver medalist of the Youth European Figure-skating Championship, Varine Mkrtchyan (soprano) – winner of young singers contest in 2009, etc20.These achievements further both success of the Armenian community and formation of positive image of the Armenians in the Czech society.

Thus, the Armenian community in the Czech Republic is one of the peculiar Armenian communities in Eastern Europe. It has numerous problems which are inherent in other Armenian communities in Eastern Europe. Hence, there are problems which are conditioned by peculiarities of both Czech Republic and the local Armenian community. Therefore, self-organization of the Armenian community and handling of the challenges it faces implies both local and system approaches.

In the context of solution of the aforementioned issues development of the organizations of the Armenian community, their integration in the Czech environment is singled out. Of course there is a necessity to arrange cooperation with other Armenian communities in Eastern Europe. But handling of the problems which are inherent in the whole the Armenian Diaspora demands broadening of cooperation and establishing of active relations with all the Diaspora organizations. Armenia, of course, plays crucial role because without its active support newly formed Armenian community in the Czech Republic will not be viable.

1 http://www.czso.cz/csu/cizinci.nsf/engt/8200578577/$File/c01t01.pdf

2 Չեխիայի Հանրապետությունում Հայաստանի դեսպանատուն, http://cz.mfa.am/hy/community-overview/

3 See:Սումլյոննի Ս., Չեխիայի հայերը. Փոքր համայնք, մեծ ներուժ, http://www.noravank.am/arm/issues/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=2375

4 See:Չեխիայի հայ համայնքը անցյալում և ներկայում, http://noravank.am/arm/seminar/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=3820&sphrase_id=18991

5 See:Բախչինյան Ա., Պրահայի հայ ուսանողությունը, «Պատմա-բանասիրական հանդես», 2008, թիվ 1, էջ 133:

6 Ibid, p. 133-148:

7 See: Սումլյոննի Ս., the mentioned work.՝ Table 3 and Table 4։

8 Սումլյոննի Ս., the mentioned work.

9 See:Սումլյոննի Ս., the mentioned work

10 See:Ղանալանյան Տ., Չեխիայի հայ համայնքի կրթական խնդիրները, «Գլոբուս. Ազգային անվտանգություն», 2011, թիվ 5, էջ 53-63:

11 See: http://www.orer.cz/?lang=AM&oper=about

12 http://hetq.am/am/media/mamul-506/

13 http://www.armedia.am/?action=SiteNews&what=show&id=1243398897&lang=arm

14 See: Եղեռնի 90-րդ տարելիցի անդրադարձներ «Օրեր» ամսագրում, http://www.armtown.com/news/am/azg/20050826/2005082603/

15 See: Ցեղասպանության 95-ամյա տարելիցին նվիրված միջոցառումներ Սլովակիայում, Հունգարիայում և Չեխիայում, http://www.report.am/news/other/old_11516.html?external=1&itpl=default/print.tpl.html

16 See: «Օրեր», 2011. ապրիլ. 24, http://www.orer.cz/

17 See: Բողոքի ցույց-հսկում Պրահայում Հունգարիայի դեսպանության առջև, «Օրեր», http://www.orer.cz/

18 See ibid: 2009, N 1, http://www.orer.cz/?lang=AM&num=2009070118

19 For details see: Արևելյան Եվրոպայի հայ համայնքների խնդիրները, Երևան, 2011, էջ 40-45:

20 «Առավոտ», 24. 06.2010, http://www.aravot.am/am/articles/guidepark/80405/view

“Globus” analytical journal, #12, 2012

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