According to a Russian Friendship and Culture Association study, in the range of 18,000 Russian brides live in Antalya. Of those, some 12,000 have been become Turkish citizens, and another 6,000 are in the process of becoming naturalized.
Last year more than 2.7 million Russian tourists visited Antalya, where 30,000 Russians currently reside.
Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, during his visit to Russia last week, said Russian women fit very well in the Turkish family structure.
Marina Sorokina, president of the Russian Friendship and Culture Association, said she has been married to a Turk for 17 years. She and her husband met in Russia and, after living there for 10 years, they moved to Antalya.
While there are cultural similarities, Sorokina added there also significant differences between Russians and Turks in terms religion and education. It is not difficult for Turkish men and Russian women to fall in love and marry in a short time, Sokorina said, but sustaining the marriage is what is important.
The association provides services such as psychological and child rearing support for Russian-born citizens living in Antalya. “Of course, we also don´t want Russian-Turkish couples to experience problems. That is why we organize initiatives and offer services so that these problems do not grow worse and lead to divorce,” she said.
Sokorina said she has seen many couples who experienced problems rooted in their different cultures or religions, and then end up divorcing after they discovered that love alone is not enough to bridge the gap.
Svetlana Demirtaş, 28, said she and her husband Mehmet Ali Demirtaş attended the same university in Russia. They have been married for seven-and-a-half years and have two daughters named Dilara and Asya.
Demirtaş said: “Now my husband, my home, my children, my everything is here. Antalya is my all.”
Viyoletta Erdiş, 28, and her husband married in İstanbul more than four years ago and later moved to Antalya. They have two children named Melike and Yasemin.
Saying she is proud to be a Turkish citizen, Erdiş said she does not see any difference between Turks and Russians. “I do not make any distinction. In fact, in the end, we are all human beings,” she said.
