The first group of Syrian-Armenians is set to arrive in Armenia on December 14, according to Hovhannes Alexanyan, Head of the Department of Repatriates Integration at the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, while speaking at a media event about the situation in Aleppo, reports Armenpress.
He confirmed that between 10,000 and 12,000 Syrian-Armenians remain in Aleppo and emphasized that an evacuation will only be possible under suitable conditions. Alexanyan explained that in the initial days following Aleppo’s takeover by anti-government forces, some Armenian families managed to escape using non-main roads.
“But there was a surprise regarding the attack on such a scale. In the first one or two days, it was possible for Armenian families to leave the city by non-main roads, secondary roads. We have information and are in contact with those families, some of which are already established in Damascus, some have reached Latakia, and there are families in Kessab. In the first days, the situation around Kessab was also complicated and even the organizations called on the people of Kessab to be ready to leave the city. But within a day or two, the [Syrian] state government forces received reinforcements, and there is no risk to Kessab at the moment,” Alexanyan said.
However, Alexanyan noted the significant challenges in evacuating those still in Aleppo. “At this moment it is impossible to organize evacuation or deliver aid. In case of an opportunity to do so, it could be considered, but there is no such opportunity now. The airport and industrial zone of Aleppo is now under the control of Islamist groups. There are no guarantees for the safe evacuation of large numbers of people,” he said.
He also described the growing fear among the Armenian community in Aleppo. “Nevertheless, the Armenian society is restless, there is great panic; many were not ready to leave the city. Currently, it is extremely difficult to organize an evacuation, to have an evacuation plan at all. (“¦) I must note that we are in contact with both [Armenian] community institutions and the embassy [in Syria], a hotline has been posted on the [web] pages of the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [of Armenia], through which the compatriots can contact the embassy,” Alexanyan added.
The group arriving in Armenia will travel via a Damascus-Yerevan flight. “We are ready to receive our compatriots at any hour and deal with their issues. The free healthcare program for Syrian-Armenians, which was introduced years earlier, is still in force, and we are ready to look into the needs of our compatriots within the framework of this program. We also call on our partner organizations to implement joint programs,” Alexanyan said.
Vulnerable families still in Aleppo are receiving support from various charitable organizations. The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia has contributed to relief efforts through its diocese, offering critical assistance to those in need.
Meanwhile, human rights expert Sergey Ghazinyan from the Center for European Studies at Yerevan State University urged Syrian-Armenians without Armenian citizenship to apply for refugee status upon entering Armenia.
