Turkmenistan Armenians in
Turkmenistan number anywhere from 30,000 to 34,000. According to the
Soviet 1989 census there were 31,829 Armenians in Turkmenistan. Their history can be traced back to the Soviet days, particularly after
World War II, when
diaspora Armenians, encouraged to settle in the
Armenian SSR were dispersed by the government across the
Soviet Union. Today there are three main groups of
Armenians living in the country: ethnic Armenians who are Turkmen citizens, Armenian refugees from
Azerbaijan, and Armenian citizens from
Armenia. Many Armenian nationals and refugees are no longer legally residents and are considered illegal due to a visa regime being implemented in 1999. Approximately 7,000 Turkmen Armenians are considered illegal. With the help of the Norwegian government and other organizations, several hundred of these Armenians were repatriated to Armenia. Most have moved on to live in Russia. ;Notable people •
Boris Şyhmyradow, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
Kazakhstan Armenians in Kazakhstan are ethnic
Armenians living in the
Republic of Kazakhstan. There are an estimated 25,000 Armenians living within the country today. The first Armenians arrived in Kazakhstan in the 1860s when the
Russian Empire, which already controlled Armenian-populated areas in the
north Caucasus, moved to conquer the
Kazakh Steppe. Immigrants from throughout the empire moved to the frontier, Armenians being among the first, acting as interpreters for the Russians (as many already spoke
Turkic languages), consuls and businessmen for the emerging oil industry. The first mass movement of Armenians into the country, however, occurred in 1937, in which almost 1,121 Armenian and
Kurdish families were transplanted from the
Azerbaijan SSR to the
Kazakh SSR. Another pair of early Armenians in Kyrgyzstan were the brothers Nikita and Sergei Bedrosov, whose nephew Emmanuel Simoyants managed the first soft drinks factory of the
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1996, Eduard Sogomonyants founded the Caravan association, which runs a Sunday school teaching Armenian language and culture to the community's children. According to the 2009 Census, the Armenian population in Kyrgyzstan was 890, falling from 3,975 in the 1989 census and 1,364 in the 1999 census. Their numbers have actually been bolstered in recent years by new migrants from among the
Armenian community in Turkmenistan. Roughly half are
Hamshenis, Muslims of Armenian origin.
Tajikistan There is a small community of Armenians in Tajikistan. The 1989 census found 5,630 Armenians in Tajikistan; however, many left the country in the years following due to hardships caused by the
collapse of the Soviet Union and the following
civil war in Tajikistan. Another driver for emigration was the fear of anti-Armenian prejudice, as seen in the
1990 Dushanbe riots which were sparked by an unfounded rumour that large numbers of Armenian refugees would be resettled there and get free housing during a period when there was a housing shortage. By the time of the 2000 census, only 995 people identifying themselves as Armenian remained, primarily in
Dushanbe,
Khujand,
Chkalovsk, and
Qurghonteppa. 57.6% could speak
Armenian, 100% could speak
Russian, and 14.8% could speak
Tajik. According to interviews with community members, the first Armenians are believed to have arrived in Tajikistan in the 1930s. A number later rose to prominent positions in society, such as the former head of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan Dr. Arutyunov.
Uzbekistan Armenians in Uzbekistan refers to ethnic
Armenians living in
Uzbekistan. They number around 40,000. The Armenian community of Uzbekistan is the largest community in Central Asia, and most of them live in
Tashkent. The modern day community formed during the
Armenian genocide when many Armenians fled through
Azerbaijan to
Uzbekistan for safety in the
Russian empire, and then made communities in
Samarkand,
Tashkent,
Andijan,
Fergana, and many other cities. After the
Soviet Union was formed, the Armenians became big contributors to the Uzbekistani economy and agriculture, with many holding high positions in government and skilled labor. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, many Armenians moved to mainly to
Russia, but also to
Armenia and the
United States. There are still many Armenians living in Uzbekistan nevertheless. Their main language is
Russian, but some still speak
Armenian at home. Instead of seeing the typical "ian" or "yan" at the end of Uzbek-Armenian last names, many will encounter Armenians with "ov" or "ts" at the end. This gives great insight into the heavy amount of Russian influence on Armenians in Uzbekistan. The Armenians still keep their traditions alive by their music, religion, and food however. Additionally, there are many Armenian cafes and restaurants in Tashkent and Samarkand. There are even two Armenian Churches in Uzbekistan, one in Samarkand and the other in Tashkent. The Armenian Church in Samarqand was firstly opened in 1905, but during the Soviet Union era it was closed and in 1995 a Businessman from Samarqand of an Armenian Origin – Artur Martirosyan, donated to re-construct and re-open the Church. ;Notable people •
Yuriy Sarkisyan, football manager •
Artyom Filiposyan, football player •
Vadim Abramov, football manager •
Artur Grigorian, boxer •
Andrey Akopyants, football player •
Tamara Khanum, an Uzbek dancer of Armenian origin ==See also==