Conflicting reports of Armenians among those killed in Syria violence, as the situation remains 'concerning'

The spokesperson of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Affairs told Armenpress that it ‘is closely monitoring’ the developments in Syria, and that ‘there are no Armenian citizens among the victims’.

Previously. Kantsasar, an Armenian magazine based in Syria reported that on 7 March, two Armenians — a father and his son were killed ‘at the entrance to Latakia’.

The incident happened as a result of an outbreak of clashes between government forces and the supporters of the formerly ruling Al Assad regime, with conflicting reports of who was responsible for initiating the fighting and how many people have been killed.

Citing the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Reuters reported on 8 March that more than 1,000 people had been killed in two days of fighting, including 745 civilians.

Reuters also quoted Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the observatory, saying on Sunday that the death toll was one of the highest since a chemical weapons attack by Bashar al-Assad's forces in 2013 killed some 1,400 people in a Damascus suburb.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that the Armenian Consul General in Aleppo ‘is in contact with local authorities and community structures’.

‘In recent days, there have been no changes in the nature of the applications addressed to the consulate by Armenian citizens. These applications generally concern ongoing consular issues’, the spokesperson said.

On the same day, the spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs told CivilNet that evacuation of Armenians from Syria ‘is simply impossible at this time’ because of the ‘security conditions’. The spokesperson also claimed that ‘local Armenians are not raising this issue at the moment’.

‘But we are also in touch with our colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in case the situation calms down, if our compatriots have a desire, for example, to move [to Armenia], we will support them in every way possible with joint efforts’, the spokesperson said.

The Commissioner’s office did not have new information about the victims among Armenians as a result of the clashes in Syria.

‘Since the situation is tense, our compatriots do not even leave their homes. There are very often power outages, communication problems’, the Commissioner’s office said.

On Monday, Kantsasar reported that the central part of Latakia ‘was stable’, but ‘still concerning’, adding that ‘the bloody events of the past days, the killing of civilians have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity’.

The media outlet also said that even though there were no clashes, ‘but the population did not come out of their apartments, the sounds of gunfire are heard from time to time’.

According to Kantsasar, security forces were operating in the central districts, ‘searching passing cars and passers-by to prevent any foreseeable dangers’.

‘Schools remain closed for the time being. The population is facing economic difficulties because workplaces are not open. The water crisis continues. Water distribution works are being carried out in the city’.

According to the Armenian government, prior to the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, up to 100,000 Armenians lived in Syria, with 60,000 living in Aleppo. As of 2019, Armenia granted asylum to 22,000 ethnic Armenians from Syria.

Following the downfall of Assad in December 2024, there has been concern over the fate of Syria’s ethnic minorities, with some fearing they may be subject to persecution or reprisals.

Armenia says ‘no opportunity’ to evacuate Syrian–Armenians

Armenia has said that no opportunity currently exists to evacuate around 10,000 Armenians in war-torn Syria. The statement was issued by Armenia’s Embassy in Damascus, which said that the Foreign Ministry was closely following the situation and that all options would be considered in case evacuat…

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan