The Armenian Embassy in Syria has announced that there is currently no safe opportunity to evacuate Armenian citizens or ethnic Armenians from Syria, particularly from Aleppo, where military tensions have intensified after the Turkey backed Islamist terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Aleppo in a shock offensive.
Shortly after, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it is closely monitoring the situation in Syria.
The Armenian embassy reported that it remains operational, maintaining communication with Armenian citizens, Syrian authorities, and Armenian community organizations. The Consul General of Armenia in Aleppo, Ara Avetisyan, serving in the position since September 14, is currently stationed in Damascus. According to the Armenian Embassy in Syria, he had traveled to Damascus on November 26, one day prior to the attack on Aleppo launched by the Islamist group, and was unable to return due to the escalating security situation.
In a facebook post that was later removed, the Embassy also urged Armenians in Aleppo and its surroundings to refrain from travel as much as possible, and completely exclude attempts to leave the city at the time.
The Armenian embassy also notified that Armenian citizens in need of assistance can contact the embassy hotline at +963960003622.
In response to inquiries about casualties, the embassy stated it has not been able to verify whether Dr. Yervant Arslanian, an ethnic Armenian doctor killed on November 30 while attempting to leave Aleppo, was an Armenian citizen.
Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Zareh Sinanyan, in an interview with Armenpress said he is also closely monitoring the situation. Sinanyan stated that his office is in regular contact with the Armenian community in Syria to assess their well-being and provide potential support.
It is believed that up to 10,000 Armenians are believed to be in Syria, with many located in areas controlled by Islamist rebel groups, which places them in a particularly vulnerable situation. As a result of the ongoing military operations, an uneasy situation has arisen also in Kessab and Damascus, especially since, as Sinanyan noted, the Syrian government troops have not succeeded in stopping the advance of the militants.
According to Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the situation in Latakia is relatively calm.
The Armenians of Aleppo prefer to remain sheltered in their homes and there is no opportunity to organize an evacuation, Sinanyan said.
