#Syria

NEWS

Jun 7, 2017
3 min

U.S. House Unanimously Provides Emergency Relief to Genocide Survivors in Iraq & Syria

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R.390, the bipartisan Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). H.R. 390, spearheaded by Helsinki Commission Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), provides emergency relief to survivors of genocide in Iraq and Syria and provides accountabilit

Jan 16, 2017
4 min

Reps. Smith and Eshoo Reintroduce Emergency Bipartisan Bill to Help Genocide Survivors

Smith-Eshoo Bill Will Provide Emergency Relief to Christians and Other Religious Minorities Who Survived ISIS Genocide Following his December 2016 mission to Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to meet with Christian survivors of ISIS genocide, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) reintroduced on January 10 their bipartisan legislation to provide emergency relief to survivors of genocide and ensure accountability for perpetrators. The Iraq and Syria Genocide E

Jan 5, 2017
2 min

Hundreds of Syrian-Armenian Students Receive Scholarships in Armenia

(Armenpress) – For the 2016-2017 academic year, 70% of tuition fees for 436 Syrian-Armenian students were paid for by the Armenian government, AGBU, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Fund for Armenian Relief, Armenian Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan noted at a year-end press conference. “There are three main directions of work with the Diaspora. We continue working in the direction of preservation of Armenian identity. That is, we do everything for the Diaspora t

Oct 20, 2016
1 min

Action Alert: Aid Refugees Fleeing Syria

As fighting continues in Syria, the situation grows more dire by the day. Contact your Member of Congress and URGE THEM TO SUPPORT $15 MILLION TO HELP SYRIAN REFUGEES FLEEING TO ARMENIA RESETTLE. In the Assembly’s testimony, we urged Congress to support aid for Syrian refugees resettling in Armenia. Given the ongoing unrest and daily accounts, now more than ever, we need to make our voices heard. Contact your Member of Congress now! #Armenia #Syria #SyrianRefugees

Oct 4, 2016
2 min

Aleppo’s Armenian Christian Neighborhoods Targeted By Jihadi (and Turkish) Rockets

Rockets from the city’s eastern sector hit Christian areas for days, fired by the al Nusra Front on Turkish orders. At least five Armenian Christians have been killed over the weekend, and a dozen wounded. Aleppo’s Armenian community calls for help from all the Churches of the world. (AsiaNews) – Fighting and dying continue not only in eastern Aleppo, where the Syrian army is pursuing its offensive backed by Russian air strikes, but also in the government-controlled western

Oct 3, 2016
2 min

Armenia To Send Relief Aid To Syria

(RFE/RL) – Armenia said it will send humanitarian aid to Syria after five ethnic Armenian civilians were reportedly killed in Aleppo on Friday amid fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels. “We are deeply concerned over the recent escalation of the military situation in Syria,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The deplorable use of weaponry against the civilian population of Aleppo, including of the Armenian district, that resulted in num

Sep 9, 2016
2 min

New Bill Will Tangibly Assist Genocide Victims in Syria and Iraq

Smith, Eshoo, Fortenberry, Franks introduce legislation to provide relief to victims, accountability for perpetrators WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 8, Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), and Trent Franks (R-AZ) introduced legislation to provide relief for survivors of the ISIS-perpetrated genocide against vulnerable religious and ethnic groups in Syria and Iraq, and to ensure that perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity

Aug 29, 2016
1 min

Violinist Ara Malikian Plays for Syrian Refugees

(Panorama.am) – The latest project of Spanish-based talented violinist, Ara Malikian, is dedicated to peace and solidarity. Touring through the refugee camps, Ara Malikian played his faithful instrument, the violin for Syrian children, Arevelk reports. Spanish sources write that the musician is also a “victim of the war.” With his family, Malikian was forced to leave Lebanon in the 1970s for Europe because of the Lebanese Civil War. Now he’s able to bring joy to those childre

Mar 11, 2016
4 min

Analyst: No Promise From Armenia On Direct Support For Russia In Syria

(L-R): Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan during a signing ceremony in Yerevan on December 2, 2013. By Sargis Harutyunyan (RFE/RL) – The Armenian president may have gone “too far, too fast” in giving “blanket endorsement” to Russia in Syria, but he did not commit Armenia to any direct support for Moscow’s campaign in this Middle East country, says a Yerevan-based analyst, assessing Serzh Sargsyan’s latest talks with his Russia

Mar 10, 2016
1 min

March 2, 2016 Statement by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

#Iraq #Genocide #Syria #HouseForeignAffairs #ArmenianGenocide #CongressmanEdRoyce

Mar 9, 2016
1 min

March 2, 2016 Statement by Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI)

#Iraq #Syria #CongressmanDaveTrott #ArmenianGenocide #Christians #Armenia

Feb 3, 2016
1 min

U.S. Welcomes Armenia’s Commitment to Adopting Syrian Refugees

(Armenpress) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the U.S. to the Republic of Armenia Richard Mills considers Armenia’s commitment to adopting Syrian refugees to be important. According to The Economist, Armenia is 3rd among European countries to adopt the largest number of Syrian refugees, following Germany and Sweden. On February 2, during the opening ceremony of the “Arevik” Center of children and adults with disabilities (mental and physical), Ambassador Mill

Jan 22, 2016
1 min

St. Gevorg Armenian Church in Syria Partially Damaged by Militants

(Armenpress) – St. Gevorg Armenian Church located in Ghnemie village of Syria’s Latakia is partially damaged. Armenpress reports correspondent of Gandzasar newspaper Hovik Shehirian informs aout this. “The armed groups have downed the cross of the church, the hall of the chuch has been burnt of, but the church is standing,” correspondent of Gandzasar newspaper said. Armenian Apostalic St. Gevorg Church was constructed in 1875. #Armenia #ArmenianChurch #Syria

Jan 15, 2016
4 min

Long After Armenian Genocide, Retracing A Grandfather’s Steps To Survival

Dawn Anahid MacKeen’s grandfather, Stepan Miskjian (left), is pictured with friends around 1910, just a few years before the Armenian genocide. (Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) (NPR) – Investigative reporter Dawn Anahid MacKeen’s latest story is one her mother always wanted her to tell. It’s about her grandfather and how he survived the 1915 Armenian genocide in which 1.5 million Armenians living in modern-day Turkey were killed. (Turkey doesn’t recognize the slaughter

Dec 29, 2015
2 min

Over 17,000 Refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine Resettled in Armenia

(ARMENPRESS) – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is one of the primary organizations in expressing support and assistance for integration for more than 16.000 persons who settled in Armenia because of the long war in Syria according to the official data. The External Relations Associate at the Armenian Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Anahit Hayrapetyan, during the interview with Armenpress, mentioned that peopl

Dec 14, 2015
2 min

List of Assyrian, Armenian, and Other Churches Destroyed in Syria

Tel Shamiram village after the liberation (Syriac Military Council MFS). (AINA) – The following is a list of Assyrian churches and monasteries in Syria that have been destroyed by ISIS and other Muslim groups. Also included is a list of non-Assyrian churches that have been destroyed. Attacks on Christians in Syria began almost immediately after the Syrian civil war began. The attacks have targeted villages, churches monasteries and the clergy, and have been perpetrated by Al-

Jun 22, 2015
3 min

Reps. Fortenberry, Eshoo, Denham Call on White House to Direct Assistance to Persecuted Christians

By Haig Hengen (@haighengen) AAANews Blog June 22, 2015 Last week, Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Jeff Denham (R-CA) issued a joint statement after meeting with the White House National Security team to urge assistance to persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. The lawmakers suggested a three-pillar approach, which follows the Armenian Assembly of America’s House Appropriations testimony earlier this year, such as huma

Jun 15, 2015
5 min

What’s in the House Appropriations Committee Report That Matters to Armenian Americans?

By Bryan Ardouny AAA News Blog June 15, 2015 Last week, the US House Appropriations Committee adopted the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) funding bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, which covers US assistance to Armenia and the region. As we reported last week, funding for South Caucasus countries was not specifically delineated. However, there are several points in the Committee’s Report that matter to Armenian Americans, particularly Armenians and other

Jun 15, 2015
5 min

The Assembly Agenda: This Week in Washington DC: June 2-5, 2015

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog June 2, 2015 Congress returns this week with a full slate, US aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh is under consideration, and Turkish parliamentary elections are slated for June 7. Welcome to the Assembly Agenda, your guide to Armenian American issues in Washington, DC. A lot has happened this year with the Armenian Genocide centennial commemorations taking place around the world. With everything going on, it’s easy to forget

Jun 4, 2015
4 min

Rubin: Turkey has become the Pakistan on the Mediterranean

By Haig Hengen (@haighengen) AAANews Blog The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa convened on June 3, 2015 to discuss US Policy towards ISIS after the terror group seized the Iraqi city Ramadi and Syrian city Palmyra. The subcommittee hearing was designed to discuss US military strategy in weakening ISIS as well as the current state of military and refugee affairs in Syria and Iraq. After seizing control of Ramadi and Palmyra