EurasiaNet.org provided information about many ethnic Armenians who are disappointed after fleeing the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo for the safety of Armenia. They say they have been left to defend for themselves in the country they regard as their ethnic homeland. Meanwhile, Armenian government officials insist they are doing what they can to accommodate Diaspora members.
A rough number 100,000 is known for ethnic Armenians, descendants of the survivors of Ottoman Turkey’s World-War-I-era massacre of ethnic Armenians, estimated to live in Syria, most of them in Aleppo. According to Armenian government data, a tiny sliver of that number – 6,248 individuals, based on Armenian visa and passport applications from Syrian citizens – appear to have left for Armenia since January 2012.
Members of the Aleppo community face numerous obstacles as they try to adjust to life in Armenia. The first problem was the price of plane tickets to Yerevan from Aleppo on the Monday flights offered by Armenia’s state-run Armavia Airlines. Since early July, ticket prices on Armavia have increased by 58 to 63 percent to 180,000 to 190,000 drams ($442 to $466.50).They started accusing Armavia for taking advantage of the violence that has cut off other exit routes from Aleppo.
In comments to EurasiaNet.org, senior Armavia director Isabella Muradyan ensured that the ticket prices to Yerevan were connected only with “the euro rate and fuel prices.” As criticism of Armavia’s prices started to gain strain, the airline and the Armenian government announced on July 26, that flights from Aleppo would increase “soon” to twice per week and would be “almost free of charge. ”Syrian citizens are now allowed to obtain Armenian visas at the border, and Armenian passports within Syria, rather than in Yerevan alone.
The site also provides information about their life in Armenia. Employment options are slim, and depend on locals’ assistance. Networking is also the key to finding an affordable apartment to rent or place to stay. The Diaspora Ministry says it only organizes and forwards assistance requests to the relevant ministry. “Everybody now is relying on their own resources,” said 21-year-old Karo Kzirian, a recent arrival from Aleppo.
The other obstacle can be the language; particularly when schools reopen in September. Syrian-Armenians use the Western Armenian dialect of Armenian, distinct from the Eastern Armenian dialect spoken locally.
The Armenian government in Yerevan is approaching the strife in Syria with caution in part because officials may be concerned about who could replace Assad, in the event his regime falls. Relations between Yerevan and Damascus have generally been warm; in 2009, President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, paid an official visit to Yerevan.Many Syrian-Armenians respect Assad, saying that his family has supported ethnic Armenians’ interests as a Christian minority group in a predominantly Muslim country.
Whether public or private, the measures can come none too soon for many of Aleppo’s ethnic Armenians. “We helped Armenia when it needed [us],” commented refugee Shaghik Rastkelenean. “Now it’s time Armenia supports us.”
