Armenian Social Council revives Armenian heritage in northeast Syria (NPA)

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The Armenian Social Council is working on conducting a census of the number of Armenians in northeastern Syria and reviving the Armenian language, Areef Qasabian, head of the Armenian Social Council, said on Wednesday.  

“We have been conducting a census for the Armenians who came to Syria in 1915 following the massacres committed against them by the Ottoman state,” she told North Press.

Armenians in AANES-held areas  

“As the Armenian community, we were not recognized within the Autonomous Administration, while those who were known; that is, within the Syrian state under the regime, were not recognized, they were known only within the church,” Qasabian added.

There were 25-50 families that were recognized in this way, according to Qasabian.  

She pointed out that when the council was established, they started to conduct assessments where hundreds of families were recognized.  

Mother language

Among the activities carried out by the Council, is teaching the mother tongue, which is practiced within the Council itself.

“We have teachers specialized in the field of teaching the Armenian language, and students of all ages,” Qasabian told North Press.  

“There is a big response from the Armenian families, whose ancestors mixed with Arabs, Kurds, and Yezidis,” she added. 

“Through the council, we revive the Armenian race,” Berberyan noted.  

Turkish massacres against Armenians

Head of the Armenian Social Council indicated that the Armenian people have suffered a lot from the massacres committed against them by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, as well as during the war in Karabakh, Afrin and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain).

The massacres were not just against the Armenians, they happened to all communities, she noted.

On April 24, 2020, the Armenian Social Council was established in the city of Hasakah, and on April 24, 2019, a military council by the name Nubar Ozanyan, was established.

Reporting by Dilbreen Moosa

North Press Agency – 2021-03-31