Armenians in Syria commemorate 107th Anniversary of the Armenian genocide
Sunday, April 24th, marks the 107th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottomans against the Armenian people.
Commemorating this anniversary, the Armenians in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday organized a candle march in which leaders of the Armenian communities in Syria as well as many Armenians took part.
The march started from the headquarters of the Armenian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Villat neighborhood and proceeded towards the cemeteries of the Armenian orthodox where participants laid wreathes of flowers on the memorial of the martyrs of the Armenian massacres.
Archbishop Masis Zoboyan of the Armenian Orthodox in Aleppo said in a statement to SANA that the Armenian people in Aleppo came from different parts of the province to visit this holy place, the cemeteries of the victims of the Armenian genocide, to commemorate the anniversary of the horrible massacres that were committed by the Ottomans against the Armenian people 107 years ago.
“We are gathering today to prove our resurrection and remind the Turks once again that we will never forget their history and their crimes against humanity in Armenia or in Syria. This gathering is a clear message that we will keep steadfast on the lands of Syria, which embraced us.”
He thanked the Syrian people, army and leader for receiving the Armenian people upon their forced displacement by the Ottomans who committed massacres against them.
“Syria has become a homeland for us, and we, as Armenian people have contributed to building Syria and today the Armenians are willing to participate in rebuilding the country after the terrorist war waged on it,” archbishop Zoboyan pointed out.
On his part, Archbishop Boutrus Mrayati of the Armenian Catholics in Aleppo, said “we are gathering today to remember our martyrs, the victims of the massacres perpetrated by the Turks against the Armenian people. The people who forget their past have no future, and we will not forget our past.”
He called for recognizing the crimes that were committed by the Ottomans against the Armenians and for compensating the Armenian people for all the losses and destruction inflicted on their churches and schools.
He pointed out that the Armenian people will not forget Syria’s position when it hosted the genocide survivors who found in Syria a new homeland, stressing that the Armenians in Syria will defend the country against enemies side by side with the Syrian army and leadership.
Hamda Mustafa