The event "100 Years Later: Middle Eastern Christians Face Another Genocide" took place in Washington, DC

13 June, 2015

Coptic Solidarity 6th Annual Conference took place on June 11-13, 2015, in Washington DC. The meeting entitled “100 Year Later: Middle Eastern Christians Face Another Genocide” was devoted to the latest developments in the Middle East with the context of the growing threats to the Christian minorities of the region caused by the outbreak of war and the rise of terrorism. A number of US Congressmen as well as government officials and diplomats contributed to the event. The Embassy of Armenia was represented by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Hrachia Tashchian. His remarks are presented below.

REMARKS AT THE COPTIC SOLIDARITY ANNUAL CONFERENCE
June 11, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is a great honor and privilege to participate in the Coptic Solidarity Annual Conference and address this distinguished audience.

As a representative of the Embassy of Armenia, I appreciate this opportunity to present our vision of the situation with the Christian minorities in the countries of the Middle East. We are deeply concerned with the developments in the region and this issue remains in the focus of the attention of our Government.

To start with, we, Armenians have special feelings towards the people of the Middle East. We have friendly relations with all ethnic groups and main religious denominations – Muslims and Christians. Our deeply rooted relations are based on our cultural and spiritual similarities.

It is also very important to remember that there are numerous Armenian communities in the Middle East. The Armenians, as a constituent part of the societies in which they live, have always played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of the countries of their citizenship and shared the destiny of their Muslim and Christian compatriots.

These communities have been flourishing for decades. But today, they are facing unprecedented challenges in Syria and Iraq – the countries that are in the grip of a severe crisis and civil war.

The Armenian communities of Syria and Iraq stand currently on the threshold of complete disappearance. Unbearable conditions of war and ongoing calamities are forcing them to abandon their homes and churches, their schools and community centers.

The Republic of Armenia has already accepted about ten thousand refugees from the Middle East. Despite the limited resources, the Armenian Government has been undertaking every possible step to establish comfortable conditions for the integration of our compatriots from Syria and Iraq.

As a nation, which survived the first genocide of the 20th century, we, Armenians, feel moral responsibility to bring our contribution to the international efforts aimed at the prevention of crimes against humanity. Armenia unequivocally condemns crimes and atrocities committed by the Islamic State, the Al Nusra Front and other terrorist groups. We believe that today it is crucial that the international community puts special emphasis on the measures to prevent the terrorists from accessing foreign assistance and financial assets.

One hundred years ago, in 1915, the Syrian Desert became the final destination for the hundreds of thousands of Armenians. Syrian people lent a helping hand to the survivors of the Genocide; and we are grateful for the generosity and genuine friendship demonstrated by the Arab people.

However, the crimes perpetrated by the terrorists today remind us of the tragic events of 1915. Even the Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in Syrian town of Deir el-Zor, which was a sanctuary for the remains of many victims of the Genocide and a place of pilgrimage, was not exempt from the barbaric acts of violence carried out by the terrorists. The destroyed Church has become another sad, yet a symbolic link between past and present crimes against humanity.

Dear Colleagues,

Our peoples have much in common: in particular Copts and Armenians. Our history and the existing similarities create a solid ground for cooperation and friendship. The visit of the spiritual leader of the Coptic people, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria to Armenia, where he participated in the events dedicated to the commemoration of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, was an important milestone which will further strengthen our friendship.

Dear Friends,

I would like to conclude my remarks by saying that the beauty of our world and our civilization is in its diversity. Today we are witnessing the unprecedented migration of the Christians from the Middle East. If the situation is not improved and the current pace of migration is not changed, the region will face a real danger of a complete loss of its Christian population. It means that the entire Middle East region will lose its cultural diversity while the human civilization will lose one of its most ancient and remarkable components.

The international community should make concerted efforts in order to protect the region from the cultural distortion, which happened a century ago, when the territory of modern Turkey was de-Christianized and the cultural heritage of the Western Armenians, Greeks of Asia Minor and Assyrians were annihilated by the Ottoman Turks.

Thank you for your attention.

MFA RA
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