By Eva Sahakyan

YEREVAN, August 10–The summer camp for Armenian children aged 4-14 on one of the Princes’ Islands (Sea of Marmara, not far from Istanbul) is open again. The camp was established in 1960 for children from low-income Armenian families on the initiative Shnorhq Galstyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople.

According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the Princes’ Islands are considered to be cosmopolitan. Many institutions of non-Muslim communities (the summer camp among them) are located there.

For the last several years the number of children has decreased (from about 250 to 130). According to Zaven Chavushian, the administrator of the summer camp, the decrease is caused by immigration of Armenians from Turkey.

For the last five years the camp has also hosted children from mixed Armenian-Turkish families. But according to the camp regulations children of Armenian citizens living in Turkey cannot be accepted.

Chavushyan mentioned that the camp is not a subsidiary of the Turkish Ministry of Education. However, they have to act in accordance with the camp regulations. They have the right to accept children from Armenian families only if they have Turkish citizenship.

Yerevan Report