Armenians in Belarus (Armenian: Հայերը Բելառուսում, romanized: Hayery Belarrusum; Belarusian: Армяне ў Беларусі, romanized: Armianie ŭ Bielarusi) refers to ethnic Armenians living in Belarus. They numbered 8,512 as of the 2009 census and mainly live in Minsk.
History
The settlement of Armenians in Belarus in the 20th century was episodic and due mainly to the needs of trade. The most important of these transpired in the latter part of the 1980s when the Armenian population began to increase. In 1989, the census figures revealed that the ethnic group reached 4,933, accounting for 0.04 percent of the Belarusian population.[2] A decade later, their population more than doubled, reaching 10,191 or 0.1 percent of the country's population.[3] The uptick in the number of Armenians, however, has led to the consolidation and the emergence of an organized Armenian diaspora in the country.[2]
Particularly, the Armenian community has been characterized by high activity for the benefit of the state. Over the past decade, from among the Armenian diaspora came a large number of prominent scientific and creative intellectuals, government officials and business leaders.
One notable characteristic of Armenians in Belarus in comparison to the Armenians living in other countries is that they are perceived to be allied with Russians.[4] This is not the case with Armenians liking in countries like Ukraine, Moldova, and Kazakhstan where Armenians are perceived to side with titulars and hostile towards the Russians.[4]
The Chairman of Armenian diaspora in Belarus is Eghiazaryan George Anushavanovich.
Notable people
Many Armenians took part in the territory of Belarus during the establishment of Soviet power and the fighting in the Eastern Front of 1941–1945. Some Armenians fought for the Soviet Union during this time, and received awards for their service. These include the following:
Sergey Sardarov – Colonel General of aviation. Commander of the 2nd Army Air Defense separate. He lived and died in Minsk.
Nvokyan Gozoros – Hero of the Soviet Union, made famous during the battle for the liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders.
Samvel Minasovich Matevosyan – Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Socialist Labor, known for leading the first recorded counter-attack during the Nazi invasion into the Soviet Union at Brest Fortress. Link label
^ abHagendoorn, Louk (2001). Intergroup Relations in States of the Former Soviet Union: The Perception of Russians. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press. p. 167. ISBN9781134951864.