ANCC Strongly Condemns Turkey’s Military Attack on Syria

Armenian
National Committee of Canada

Comité
National Arménien du Canada

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622

E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]

-PRESS RELEASE-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10,
2019                                                                  Contact: Sevag
Belian (613) 235-2622

ANCC Strongly Condemns
Turkey's Military Attack on Syria

OTTAWA – The Armenian National Committee of Canada
strongly condemns Turkey's military attack on Syria and calls on the
international community to restrain Turkey from making an already dire
situation immeasurably worse.  

Yesterday, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
Hon. Chrystia Freeland made the government's position clear in a mid-day tweet,
saying “Canada firmly condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Syria today…We
call for the protection of civilians and on all parties to the respect their obligations
under international law…”

Commenting on the issue, ANCC co-president Hrag
Tarakdjian said “We welcome Minister Freeland’s and Canada’s firm position on
the issue, but we ask them to remain vigilant and be ready to act, because
Turkey simply cannot be trusted and civilians could very well pay the price of
this senseless aggression”

Earlier, the ANCC sent a letter to Minister Freeland
and the US Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa, Mr. Richard Mills, expressing its
profound concern, regarding the sudden withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

In the letter, ANCC co-presidents, Hrag Tarakdjian and
Shahen Mirakian said “At a time of uncertainty and
danger, such an ill-considered decision by the US President is a clear
abandonment of America’s key allies in the region and a reckless desertion of
the ethnoreligious minorities, including Armenians, that have called Syria home
for centuries”

Later reports indicated that Turkish airstrikes had already hit civilian
targets and a number of casualties were reported. The towns of Tel-Abyad and
Qamishly – where Armenian and Assyrian minorities live alongside the local
Kurdish majority – were amongst the towns that were hit heavily by Turkish
forces. In the Aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, Qamishly was one of the
first settlements established by the survivors of the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocides.

“While Turkey might assure that civilians will not be targeted, the reality on the
ground suggest otherwise” said Shahen Mirakian.

“Erdogan simply cannot be trusted and the international community must act”
he added.

“We urge you to remain vigilant and work alongside our international
partners to raise this important matter and prevent what will inevitably lead
to bloodshed and destruction” concluded the letter to Minister Freeland.

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The ANCC is the
largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the
ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a
broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout
Canada and the world.