These days the developments in Syria are among the most discussed and the most urgent issues. Particularly, the situation in Aleppo is tense, where there is a rather big Armenian community. Therefore, www.aravot.am inquired during a conversation with Arabist Suren Manukyan whether the Armenian government was showing the necessary support to Syrian Armenians and whether it was ready to show it to them, in his assessment. He replied, “The
situation is so complex that the easiest thing is to blame the government. I am aware that our government follows the events and is ready to respond to the developments. The fact that the Armenian consulate operates in Damascus is a big thing for the Armenian community by itself.”
Talking about the issue of moral help, the Arabist noted, “Armenians living in Syria would like to get moral support and everyday attention from the Armenian government very much, since they say that as opposed to many other national minorities, they have a motherland. I think that the Armenian government should make the bilateral relations more active. Certainly, it is not possible to discuss many issues under war conditions. Just sending a delegation from Armenia will make Syrian Armenians feel that the Armenian state is close to them and is aware of their problems. In this issue the Armenian government still has things to do.”
In response to our observation that they already talked about the increase in prices in the Armenian real estate market, as a result of the Syrian Armenians’ influx into Armenia, Mr. Manukyan said the following, “In reality, the real estate market is a private market, which cannot be managed. I think that it had to be so, as it happened after the tensions around Iran. It is just a natural economic phenomenon. And if the Armenian government has to solve the problem of Syrian Armenians’ residence, it has to be in the form of giving them the right to temporary residence, until they make up their mind about their future.”
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Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
