THE HAGUE—President Serzh Sarkisian on Monday said he has directed Armenia’s United Nations missions in New York and Geneva to address the importance of “ensuring the security of the Armenians in Kessab and their safe return to their permanent places of residence at the structures dealing with human rights and ethnic minorities,” reported the presidential office.
Sarkisian, who is in the Hague to attend the world Nuclear Security Summit, spoke tor reporters at the World Forum Convention Center, saying that the weekend’s attack of the Armenian-populated city of Kessab by gunmen who infiltrated through the Turkish border, posed serious challenges.
“[The] deportation of Kessab Armenians today is a serious challenge to ethnic minority rights’ protection mechanisms of the 21st century,” said Sarkisian. “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 Kessab and their safe return to their permanent places of residence at the structures dealing with human rights and ethnic minorities.”
Telling reporters about Kessab’s bloody history beginning with Turkish armed detachment attacks of Armenians in 1909 and the impact of the 1915 Genocide on the residents of the area, Sarkisian drew attention to the historical parallels to the present-day crisis.
I think that everyone should realize that these parallels should be a sobering reminder to all involved,” said Sarkisian.
Sarkisian thanked the Syrian authorities for the steps being taken to protect the Armenians in Kessab and added the Armenia’s Embassy in Damascus is working on measures to support the Armenian population of Kessab.
Sarkisian also announced that he met with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia to discuss the Kessab situation.
Beginning on Friday, the Armenian-populated Kessab region of Syria has been under siege after Al-Qaeda affiliated foreign fighters penetrated the Turkish border with Kessab and began a large-scale attack, forcing the population to flee to nearby Latakia. Earlier press reports indicated that the town has been all but emptied.
Sarkissian should have thought about the consequences before opening his big mouth on the Crimean issue. We have no legitimacy left with the international community. They see us as the enemy now!
You are a deranged self-hating freak. Armenia takes a poltical stand in support of its national interests in Eastern Europe, and that makes it acceptable to massacre Armenians in the Middle East. You make me sick
When Yanukovych was overthrown by the fascists the new government stated that Karabagh belonged to Azerbaijan . That’s the only reason why Sarkissian recognized Crimea part of Russia . Secondly Armenia as a nation has always been an enemy to Western powers because it is in the way of there ambitions , but it was Russia that helped Armenia get up on one knee .. Not the US or Europe. Thanks to only Russia that Armenia can defend themselves , something that we couldn’t do since the time of Mezn Dikran . Now on the Kessab issue , you talk about the legitimacy of the International community but you fail to understand that the people entering Syria are Al-Qaeda and it is the International community who fund these murderers to enter Syria and commit such crimes ? Do you want Armenia to be on the side of those who send in troops to destabilize regions , especially when entering Armenian villages ? I prefer Armenia to be where it is now rather than be a mouth piece. Im sick of Armenia being the little guy with no say in the world .. We are of ancient , and our word counts more than terrorist supporters . Don’t use words like “Sarkissian should have thought about the consenquences” because all you are doing is supporting the supposed punishment on Armenia .. Should Armenia bend over and take it in the back ? Or take it on the chin like a man and defend its people’s right just like Sarkissian is doing now.
Armenian national interest is people’s self determination we have Artcax.
Sarkisyan said that we all respect people’s right to self determination.
Some who says he is wrong saying that must be smoking weed.
President Sarkissia supported the rights of people’s self detemination everywhere, not anexation of Crimea with Russia
First World War Powers, France, Italy, Great Britain don’t remember secret Treaty of Sèvres anymore! This is one of the reasons, why Armenian Genocide does not have impact on them!
Can you imagine if this happened in a Jewish town or Synogogue there we would see true justice!
Aside from humanitarian aid, military assistance should be sought. UN troops may be an option.
The following letter is posted to the president’s official website:
Mr. President,
I think Turkey by mass killings and banishment of Armenians of Kessab provided sufficient ground and reason to the Armenian government to remove it’s signature from the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation protocols. Who can blame Armenia to refuse reconcile with the genocidal regime.
Turkey continues the Armenian Genocide into 21st Century, by sending Mujahedin fighters through the Turkish border into Syria.
Sarkisian makes a lot of mistakes but for once he got it right. I will give credit when it is due. Sarkisian deserves credit for this act. And yes, Putin was right for the Syrian issue. I will admit that too and will give him credit.
You may be interested in watching this clip where President Sargsyan absolutely destroys the Azeri delegate at PACE. He is an excellent public speaker and diplomat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu-UZn3KvG0
He did speak well indeed. But let’s be honest, he did mess up by recognizing Crimea with his phone talk with Putin. That was a bad strategic move in my mind, now Ukraine will likely side with Azerbaijan concerning the Artsakh issue. Not only Ukraine, but even the West may side with Azerbaijan because of that bad mistake Sarkisian made. And there is less chance the world recognizes Artsakh because of that.
I don’t know what to say else. He is good at defending Armenians around the world even though sometimes he makes mistakes.
To be honest, the west will side with azerbaijan because the west’s favorite tools are turkic/islamic tribes they can use against Russia.
Sargsyan did the right thing, by recognizing Crimea’s right to self-determination, he paved the way for Russian-support for a full recognition of Artsakh.
Ukraine has always sided with azerbaijan, the coup leaders in Ukraine stated over and over that they were the ones who volunteered for (were mercenaries for) azerbaijan in the Artsakh war. Ukraine is a dead country, bankrupt and lawless, their “support” is worthless. I’d trade Ukrainian “support” for closer Russian-Armenian relations everyday.
And the west has denied the Armenian Genocide, refused to recognize Artsakh, and continued to arm turkey with modern weapons and economic support for the past 23 years. The west bases its policies on its national interests, which include having strong turkic pawns (turks, azeris, chechens, dagestanis, crimean tatars, uighur turks in china, sunni islamists in kosovo, sunni islamists in Libya, sunni islamists in bosnia and herzegovina) to use as minions in the west’s fight against international rivals like Russia, China, and Pan-Arab Nationalists… The west will sacrifice Armenia every single time because Armenia is too small and too “unmanageable” to be useful to the west’s pursuit of western interests.
Sarkis, well said.
I’m glad that you are here to counter Western centric nonsense.
In case you didn’t know, Ukrain, both old and new gov-mnt has been siding with Azbdn since the beginning of azbdni agression. So are the tartars who live their. Recognition of people’s rignght to self determination is the only right thing. you don’t want to build your policies on others’ interests you want to make sure you attend to your own.
The leaked phone calls revealing the American and European plan to have Turkey send in a few special forces into Syria and conduct false flag operations by purposefully launching attacks from Syrian lands onto Turkish-occupied territory should raise alarms and discussion among Armenian-Americans. There is no longer any room to deny: Syria’s democratically elected President Bashar Al-Assad was targeted for an illegal regime change by the war criminals of America and Europe. Their evil plans failed. Now they are unleashing their favorite, closest ally in the world Turkey to start a war with Syria. America and the EU gave Turkey full permission to carry out the Massacre of Kessab. America, the EU and Turkey don’t care about Armenian civilians being slaughtered, they don’t care about “democracy” or “freedom” or “civil society” or human dignity. American and the EU have zero problems working with terrorists like al-quadea and al-nusra in Syria. They only care about expanding their empire. Instead of acting like civilized governments, instead of acting like Christian nations, the immoral heads of the EU government are praising Turkey for being such a “model Muslim democracy” not even a month after Turkey committed the massacre of Kessab!
Therefore it should not surprise anyone that America and the EU not only refuse to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but they actively help Turkey deny and cover up the Armenian Genocide. It does not matter whether Democrat or Republican, American or British, the entire west is united behind Turkey against Armenia. America and the EU only lie to Armenians and pretend they care about Armenia and “freedom and democracy”, but their actions prove otherwise.
Thank God the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh, and the Armenians in Syria are protected and supported by Russia. As brave and noble as Armenia’s military is, Armenia is too small and too weak to save itself from the combined forces of NATO. The sooner Armenia is in the Customs Union, and the more integrated Armenia becomes in the CSTO and the Armenia-Russia alliance, the better it will be for Armenia. I pray that the next Prime Minister of Armenia will be a man (or woman) with a strong sense of purpose, and one who will not hesitate to stand up for Armenia and Armenians around the world in the face of American, EU and Turkish fascism and anti-Armenianism.