The Armenians in Aleppo commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottomans

 The Armenians in Aleppo on Friday commemorated the 106 Anniversary of the genocide committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman empire through holding a candle march with the participation of the heads of the Armenian Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic communities and a huge number of locals.

The march started from Al-Midan neighborhood and headed towards the Armenian Orthodox cemeteries, where participants laid a wreath on the monument built as a memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide.

Archbishop Masis Zuboyan of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Aleppo said that “commemorating the anniversary of the genocide committed against the Armenians recalls the tragedies and injustice the Armenians suffered from and evokes the sacrifices of the peaceful Armenian people, whose blood was unfairly shed by the Ottoman criminals.”

He pointed out that the Syrian state has warmly embraced the Armenian people during their dilemma and helped them live in peace, safety and amity in the country, thanking Syria, as a leadership and people, for recognizing the massacres committed by the Ottomans against the Armenians.

On his part, Reverend Harutyun Selimian, head of the Armenian Protestant community in Aleppo talked about the massacres committed by the Ottoman empire against the Armenian people, the mass killing including women and children, the displacement of the Armenians, the looting of their properties, and the crucifying of many of them.

“Today, we are facing a common enemy, as the Turkish occupation is also committing crimes against the Syrian people, stealing their properties and displacing the locals in the Syrian towns and cities it has occupied,” Selimian, said, calling for restoring the stolen rights of Armenian people.

 He pointed out that the Armenian people consider Syria as a safe home to them, stressing that the Syrian people will inevitably triumph over the aggression and restore their usurped rights.

Bishop Boutros Marayati of the Armenian Catholic Church in Aleppo, on his part, said that the Armenians, who witnessed the massacres at the hands of the Ottomans a hundred and six years ago and who survived the Ottoman genocide, found in Syria a safe haven, and today they live in the city of Aleppo as citizens enjoying their full rights and as an integral part of the city’s social fabric. They were also subjected with the Syrian citizens to the suffering caused by the aggressive and destructive acts of the Turkish occupation in the city and shared with them their struggle to defend the homeland.

“Our message today is to confirm that we are one people and citizens of one nation and  that struggle will continue until the usurped rights are restored,” he added.

Participants in the march reiterated that the Armenian people won’t forget the massacres of the Ottoman occupation and they are now more determined to call for restoring their rights, urging all justice-loving peoples to shed light on the Armenian cause, recognize the Armenian genocide and compensate the Armenian people and seek apology for their suffering. 

Hamda Mustafa