Turkey's Only Armenian Village Completely Destroyed After Earthquake; Government Support Needed

Turkish newspaper columnist Oral Çalışlar has reported on the situation in Vakıflı, Turkey's only Armenian village, following the recent earthquake, as conveyed by Ermenihaber.am.

The village head, Perg Karatun, stated in an interview with 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 evacuated to Istanbul by a bus sent by Armenian Patriarch Sahak Mashalyan.

Twenty people went to Iskenderun to stay with relatives. “The population of this village is gradually decreasing. The earthquake caused significant devastation. To ensure that this village does not disappear, government support is necessary,” he said. He noted that 15 houses have been severely damaged, and the church has also suffered damage. Currently, they have about 25 tents where they are living.

He emphasized that assistance is coming from all directions, and help started arriving on the fourth day after the disaster. He expressed gratitude to benefactors and officials. “From now on, we expect support from the government. How will the destroyed houses be rebuilt? With financial assistance or through other means? We must create opportunities that will prevent people from leaving this village. To stop the migration of villagers, we must first resolve housing issues... We are making efforts to keep the only remaining Armenian village in Turkey standing. We ask for help from everyone who comes. We have faced a tremendous disaster,” the village head added.