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Armenians of Cyprus wish to be officially designated a community and not a religious group, MP of Cyprus parliament Vartkes Mahdessian told Cyprus News Agency.

However, in his words, they are not seeking any changes at the moment.

“We, me personally, are not seeking this at this moment, to change the constitution, because things are already complicated with the Cyprus problem and I do not want to add more difficulties,” he noted.

Mahdessian also stressed that although Armenians have seats in the parliament, they nevertheless cannot vote or submit a bill.

One of the key problems faced by the Armenian community in Cyprus is preserving its customs, culture, language, and religion. Many Armenians applying for jobs in the public sector and army face a language, Greek and Turkish being the official languages in Cyprus, he added.

According to Mahdessian, studying of the Armenian language is becoming less popular among the community, many parents wondering why they should send their children to Armenian schools since it would affect their future.

Armenians, Maronites, and Catholics are considered religious groups in Cyprus. 

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