Yerevan announces evacuation of Armenian families from shelling in Syria

The Armenian authorities decided to remove the Armenian population from Syria, which came under fire of the Turkish army, and called on the international community to protect the rights of national and religious minorities in the area of hostilities.

Today, shelling attacks on Syrian villages and towns populated by Armenians has been reported by MP Mkhitar Airapetyan with reference to Armen Sargsyan, Consul General of Armenia in Aleppo.

"The Turkish forces are shelling the city of Tell Abyad, where 16 Armenian families live. It is planned to evacuate these families in the near future. Besides, the city of Qamishli, where also many Armenians live, has been shelled," Mkhitar Airapetyan wrote on his Facebook page as translated from Armenian by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The hostilities launched by Turkey in Syria will lead to civilian casualties, an increase in the flow of refugees, and a humanitarian crisis, notes the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) today. "Of particular concern is the situation in which national and religious minorities appear. A military invasion poses an immediate threat of gross and massive violations of human rights on the basis of its identity," the Armenian MFA declares.

Armenia has called on international institutions to protect the population of the Syrian regions bordering Turkey, states the Armenian MFA as quoted by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that Armenia will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 10, 2019 at 02:48 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.