President Serzh Sargsyan made a press statement concerning the events in Kesab

President Sezh Sargsyan made a press statement concerning the events in Kesab at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague. The President expressed his deep concern over the events in Kesab. “All of us perfectly remember the history of Kesab, which was unfortunately, full of hellish realities deportations in the last century,” said Serzh Sargsyan.

The President of Armenia reminded that the first scourge was back in April 1909 when the Turkish armed detachments invaded Kesab. The Armenians took shelter in mountain Garaturan and on the coast. After setting Kesab on fire and plundering it, Turks made their way to Garaturan, burned and looted the houses of the upper district. A French ship transported Armenians to Latakia. After living in Latakia for one year, the emigrants returned to Kesab and reconstructed their houses.

When touching upon the historical facts Serzh Sargsyan also recalled another date – events of 1915, when the Kesab population also experienced migration and exiles of the Armenian Genocide. Armenians of Kesab were exiled in two directions: to Der Zor and to the south up to Jordan. Thousands died en route, the majority perished in Deir Zor Desert.

“The third deportation of Kesab Armenians today is a serious challenge to ethnic minority rights’ protection mechanisms of the 21st century. I think that everyone should realize that these parallels should sober all the sides”, underlined the President of Armenia.

President thanked the Syrian authorities for the steps being taken to protect the Armenians in Kesab at this difficult moment.

“I have already instructed the diplomatic missions at the UN Headquarters in New-York and Geneva to raise the issue of ensuring the security of the Armenians in Kesab and their safe return to their permanent places of residence at the structures dealing with human rights and ethnic minorities,” said President Sargsyan.

Today the President of Armenia also had consultation with the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I in connection with the current situation.

President Serzh Sargsyan assured that the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Syria worked on the program of measures to support the Armenians in Kesab. The program will be implemented in a full scale.