ArmInfo.Armenia's decision to send a humanitarian group to Syria was legitimate, and there can be no other opinion. Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan said this on February 13 in an interview with journalists, commenting on the US position on the issue of sending an Armenian humanitarian mission of 83 people to Syria.
"I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia will respond to the statement of the US Department," the Defense Minister said.According to the Armenian Defense Minister, there is some geopolitical contradiction with Washington's position on this issue, but the support of Syria from Armenia, of which the Armenian community is a part, is "invulnerable" from a moral point of view and cannot cause any speculation in a way.
Recall that on February 8 a group of Armenian specialists in humanitarian demining, medical personnel and ensuring the safety of the specialists themselves, in a total of 83 people, arrived in the Syrian Arab Republic (Aleppo) to provide humanitarian specialized assistance to the Syrian people. The day before, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan said that the humanitarian mission of Armenia in Syria is carried out in accordance with the law. The Minister also noted that if there are such circumstances, and if the need arises to participate in military actions, then Armenia will certainly do it in accordance with the law.
"Of course, we will work with extra-parliamentary forces to make such a decision," D.Tonoyan said.The US State Department reacted rather negatively to sending a group of Armenian specialists to Syria. The United States does not support any cooperation between Armenia and Russia in a humanitarian mission in Syria. This is stated in the statement of the US Department of State regarding the dispatch of the Armenian humanitarian mission to Syria. The report, transmitted by the US Embassy in Yerevan, notes that the US side understands the desire of other countries to respond to the humanitarian situation in Syria, and the US shares concerns about the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East.
"Nevertheless, we do not support any interaction with the Syrian armed forces, regardless of whether it is about providing assistance to civilians or is of a military nature. We also do not support any cooperation between Armenia and Russia in this mission. Russia has cooperated with the Assad regime, which killed civilians and caused a humanitarian catastrophe. Russia in the global arena continues to defend the Assad regime and its atrocities, "the US Department of State noted, Aysor.am reports.