«Սփյուռքի մոտակա եզրը» - Հարցազրույց Դերենիկ ՄԵԼԻՔՅԱՆԻ հետ

The article, which is an interview with Deренник Melikyan, editor-in-chief of Iran's oldest Armenian-language newspaper "Alik," was published in connection with the publication's 75th anniversary and is devoted to the history of the newspaper as well as the current situation of Iran's Armenian community.

Introduction and Biographical Context

Derenik Melikyan (born 1959) is a graduate of the Katarinyan Armenian school in Nor Jugha and the Department of Armenian Studies at Isfahan State University; he has worked at "Alik" since 1992 and has been its editor-in-chief since 2004. The interview is structured as a sequential overview of the newspaper's history and the life of Iranian Armenians.

History of the Newspaper "Alik"

The publication emerged in 1931 on the basis of the Dashnak newspaper "Ayg" as a counterweight to Soviet propaganda and successor to the publications "Aravot" and "Ayg."
It evolved from a weekly to a daily newspaper, having been suspended only once — in 1942–1943.
Its founders were figures persecuted by the Soviet authorities; the editorial staff changed over the decades, including the period following the Islamic Revolution.
The newspaper combined national ideology with loyalty to the Iranian state, which ensured its stable position.

The Armenian Community of Tehran

It took shape as a full-fledged structure in the 1940s with the establishment of the Tehran Diocese, which later came under the jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
Its maximum population reached 100,000 people, but after the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War it shrank by roughly half due to emigration.
Active church, educational (about ten Armenian schools), and community life continues under the administration of the Diocesan Council.

Inter-Community Ties and Standing in the Country

The three main Armenian communities of Iran (Tehran, Atrpatakan, Nor Jugha/Isfahan) maintain close interaction, including through the representation of two Armenian deputies in the Majlis.
Armenian historical monuments (the monasteries of Surb Amenaprkich and Surb Tadei Vank) are under state protection and are being restored, which contrasts with the destruction of Armenian heritage in Azerbaijan.
Ties with Armenia are intensive: direct transport links, and the migration of specialists, athletes, and cultural figures.

Problems of the Community and the Publication

The main difficulties are economic in nature rather than social or political; the authorities create no obstacles for the Armenian minority.
"Alik" has the largest circulation among diaspora press (about 5,000 copies, distributed in 40 countries), while facing pan-Turkist propaganda.

Conclusion

The key conclusion of the interview is that Iran's Armenian community, despite its demographic decline, maintains a stable position thanks to the benevolent policy of the Iranian state, a developed institutional structure, and close ties with the Republic of Armenia; and, in the interviewer's assessment, international pressure on Iran does not have a negative effect on the situation of the country's Christian minority.