AAA: Assembly Diocesan Legate Meet with State Department Re Situatio

PRESS RELEASE
Date: March 28, 2014

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Email: [email protected]
Web:

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA, DIOCESAN LEGATE MEET WITH STATE DEPARTMENT
REGARDING SITUATION IN KESSAB, SYRIA

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian,
Diocesan Legate of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), met with
officials from the U.S. Department of State regarding the current plight of
the Armenian community of Kessab, Syria, reported the Assembly. Archbishop
Aykazian previous served as the President of the National Council of
Churches and was appointed by President Obama to his Advisory Council’s
Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation Task Force.

The meeting comes days after the Assembly sent a pointed letter to
President Obama, which called on his administration to take action to
safeguard and assist the Armenians of Kessab. “We call on President Obama
to take all steps necessary to not only safeguard the Christian Armenian
community of Kessab, but to increase efforts in coordination with the
United Nations to ensure that all minority communities are afforded greater
protection. In addition, we urge President Obama to make it publicly clear
that the United States will not tolerate its NATO ally’s policy of
providing support to extremist groups,” the Assembly’s letter to President
Obama stated.

During the meeting, the Assembly and the Diocese conveyed that the attack
upon the peaceful town of Kessab, which has had no part in the Syrian civil
war, is a blatant escalation of the conflict by Islamic extremists. The
worldwide Armenian community is especially distressed and outraged by the
reports that these extremist elements crossed over the border from Turkey
expressly to occupy the last remaining historic Armenian town in the Middle
East.

In a related development, the Assembly is encouraged that a parliamentary
delegation from the Republic of Armenia this week visited the Armenians of
Kessab who have sought refuge in the neighboring town of Latakia. This
visit underlined the importance attached to safeguarding our communities
and standing together in a great time of need.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

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Editor’s Note: The Assembly letter to President Obama is available online
at:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress