Armenians in Switzerland

Map of the Armenian diaspora.

Swiss-Armenians are citizens of Switzerland who are of Armenian ancestry. This means that they are ethnic Armenians, but live in Switzerland. The exact number of Armenians in Switzerland is not known. In the 2010 census, the number of Swiss citizens who claimed to be Armenian was 612.[1] The full number of Armenians living in Switzerland is said to be between 3,000 and 5,000.[2][3]

The majority of Swiss Armenians are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are four church regions (tems): Geneva, Zurich, Neuchatel and Lugano. There are also a smaller number of Armenian Catholics, and even a smaller number of Armenian Evangelicals.

A number of Armenian associations operate in Switzerland:

  • Union Arménienne de Suisse (UAS) is the biggest Armenian association in Switzerland. It is based in Geneva, and organises a European Intercommunity Tournament in the city every year.
  • Union Genérale Arménienne de Bienfaisance (UGAB)
  • Association de secours arménienne de Suisse, established in 2006.
  • Armenischer Verein Zürich in Zurich was established in 2005.
  • Association des Dames Arméniennes - Genève. Since 1986 it publishes the bilingual Artzakank in French and Armenian.
  • Switzerland-Armenia Association (Association Suisse-Arménie / Gesellschaft Schweiz-Armenien), a major community organisation for Armenians in Switzerland. It is based in Bern. It supports the strengthening of Armenian history, culture and identity.
  • Centre Arménien de Genève, a community center near Saint Hagop in Geneva.
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References

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  1. ↑ (in German) "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach detaillierter Staatsangehörigkeit". Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  2. ↑ (in Armenian) Hovhannisyan, Lilt. "Սփյուռքն ու Հայաստանը պետք է կազմակերպվեն". Sobesednik Armenii. Archived from the original on 2018-09-13. Retrieved 27 January 2013. Շվեյցարիայում ապրում է շուրջ 4500 հայ, մի մասը 1915 թ. ցեղասպանությունից փրկված և Շվեյցարիայում ապաստան գտած հայերի սերունդներն են, մյուս մասը եկել է Սիրիայից, Եգիպտոսից, Լիբանանից:
  3. ↑ Ayvazyan, Hovhannes (2003). Հայ Սփյուռք հանրագիտարան [Encyclopedia of Armenian Diaspora] (in Armenian). Vol. 1. Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia publishing. p. 428. ISBN 5-89700-020-4.

Other websites

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