Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan are historic, but after the end of the Nagorno Karabakh war in 2020 and the 2021 border crisis, the large-scale clashes that have taken place since September have claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
The gravity of the situation is such that the UN Security Council recently held a closed-door meeting to address the issue. The conflict, however, also echoes in Latin America, where communities of Armenian origin condemned “the invasion of the sovereign territory of Armenia by Azerbaijan” and organized protests in front of the headquarters of the latter’s embassies.
Although not the most numerous in Latin America, the community of citizens of Armenian origin stands out for being one of the most active, heterogeneous and influential in the region. The various churches, schools, clubs, newspapers and radio stations of Armenian origin, in addition to their important representation in Latin American politics, business and arts, prove this.
The main Armenian communities in Latin America are present in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile, Honduras and Mexico, but there are also significant groups of this community in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Cuba. Thus, the arrival of Armenians is directly related to the political conflicts that began during the Ottoman Empire.
Most Armenians who arrived in the region did so escaping massacres, persecution and deportation proceedings during World War I and the years after. Many are survivors of the Armenian Genocide, which occurred between 1915 and 1923. In the context of widespread forced migrations, Armenian migration and the formation of a global diaspora were facilitated by the Nansen Passport, created in 1921 by the League of Nations through the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Refugees.
However, upon arrival, Armenian immigrants were not identified as Armenians, but as immigrants from Western Europe, and were often confused with Syrians and Lebanese who also landed in Latin American metropolises.
The presence and political activism of the Armenian diaspora in Latin America has been especially evident in relation to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In 1965, Uruguay was the first country to officially recognize this fact, and today there are different countries in the region and entities such as the Andean Parliament that recognize and condemn it.
Currently, many Latin Americans of Armenian origin maintain their activism for this cause, while Armenia tries to promote more and greater ties with this population. Two examples illustrate both trends. In 2021, after Armenia’s defeat against Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ara Aivazian, called in an interview members of the Armenian diaspora in Latin America to actively participate in the reconstruction of the country, defined as their “second historic homeland”.
On the other hand, in April 2022, one day before the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, Uruguay received a visit from the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The purpose of the visit was to inaugurate the new Turkish embassy in the country, in the context of deepening bilateral relations and signing a free trade agreement. However, the chosen date and the ambassador’s gesture of reproducing with his hands the symbol of a pro-Turkish paramilitary organization in front of demonstrators from the Uruguayan Armenian community generated numerous criticisms and condemnations.
Although the presence of the Armenian diaspora is regional, in two Latin American countries the importance of this community is more pronounced: Argentina and Brazil. According to local censuses, the Armenian community in Argentina and Brazil began to form in the last decades of the 19th century and was consolidated between 1930 and 1940.
Argentina and Brazil became destinations for this population due to factors such as their migration policies and the opportunities their economies offered, as well as the existence of welcoming networks and communities. Armenian communities settled mainly in cities like São Paulo and Buenos Aires, but different cities in the interior, like Córdoba and Osasco, also became home to this population.
Since the end of the 20th century, Armenian communities in Argentina and Brazil have experienced significant economic growth through trade and industry in both countries. In the economic and commercial sphere, Argentina is currently among the ten countries with the highest investment flows to Armenia. In this process, it is important to highlight the role played by the main actors of the Armenian diaspora in Argentina, such as Eduardo Eurnekian, considered by Forbes magazine as one of the richest men in the country, and an active member of the Armenian community.
Regarding the politician, despite the strengthening of relations with Turkey in recent years, Argentina has demonstrated its support for the Armenian cause with the recognition of the genocide by the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Furthermore, law 26199 of 2007 declares April 24, Armenian Genocide Day, as a “day of action for tolerance and respect between peoples”.
On the other hand, in Brazil, the first families that landed in São Paulo formed large industries linked to the textile sector and the shoe trade, but their presence is also important in the political and cultural spheres. On the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the country’s Armenian community, linked especially to the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), sought the approval of a recognition motion by the Senate.
Although, in 2015, the Federal Senate unanimously recognized the Armenian genocide, neither the Executive Branch nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued statements supporting this measure. As historian Heitor Loureiro points out, during the 2000s, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide experienced some challenges due to factors such as Brazil’s foreign policy agenda and the deepening of the relationship with Turkey, which is considered strategic.
In addition to the activism of the diaspora, their struggle for the memory and recognition of the Armenian Genocide or the denunciation of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, communities of Armenian origin and their numerous contributions are central and constitute a good example of the diversity that today characterizes and enriches our region.
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