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Assyrian Diaspora and Perspectives of its Development in Contemporary World

Dr. Irina  SAGRADOV A-GASPARYAN

     The Assyrian nation in its majority lives in Diaspora in countries with different cultures, languages and political orientation. At that, political contradictions often exist between the countries where there are big Assyrian communities.

     In Diaspora there is a real danger of assimilating Assyrians with the original population. And it's not an exception that inter vivo of one or two generations the Assyrian Diaspora could practically disappear .

     Besides the Assyrians, the Jews, the Armenians and the Greeks have big Diasporas. These nations have managed to preserve their originality owing to the following factors:

• consolidation of a religious organization (the Greeks are mainly Orthodox, the Armenians are followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Jews are Jews);

• compactness of residence in Diaspora;

• presence of State system that allows these nations keeping in close touch with their historical homeland and there is a mutual support and assistance.

     The Assyrian nation can't count on the factors which preserve Diasporas of the above mentioned nations. It is because there is a religious dissociation, no State system and in many countries the Assyrians don't live compactly. Therefore, we have to seek for other factors which could join the Assyrians all over the world in order to preserve the nation. And if we believe that national identity is an independent value we should seek for these factors. I think that the main factor which doesn't cause political or religious disagreements is a problem of preserving the Assyrian language, peculiarities of the culture and development of the Assyrian nation in the context of .the language and culture preservation.

     This report considers problems and ways of preservation, development and consolidation of the Assyrian Diaspora. In this respect the main factors are:

• a problem of elaborating and discussing a concept of preservation of the Assyrian nation in contemporary world and harmonization of a personality evolution preserving the Assyrian identity;

• choice of countries and Assyrian communities which could become a basis for developing and working through ways of consolidation and which could disseminate their experience to the whole Diaspora being centers of the Assyrian culture in contemporary world;

• an opportunity of establishing an international foundation of the Assyrian Diaspora development;

• ensuring accessibility of a unified Assyrian information for all communities;

• -search for ways of eliminating intra community and intercommunity contradictions.

     The report briefly gives a situation with the Assyrian community in Armenia and states a concept

of preserving the Assyrian language and culture in Armenia developed by the author of the report. This concept is introduced to the authorities of Armenia for approval.