The national minorities of Armenia express their protest against the attack on the Armenian-populated Kessab, Syria, and the violence against national minorities, in general. Representatives of the national minorities of Armenia adopted a statement today, condemning the events in Kessab and demanding to stop the supply of weapons and financial assistance to rebels.

What happened in Kessab on March 21 is the continuation of the policy of 1915, President of the Greek “Patrida” NGO Edward Polatov told reporters today.

“Even as Turks are promising everlasting friendship after 100 years and trying to assure they have nothing to do with the deeds of the predecessors and are not responsible for the crime committed at the turn of the 20th century, they proved yet again that they bear responsibility for the crimes of their ancestors. They have no future, as they are an assassin nation. Only after a full and sincere contrition will it be possible to alleviate the burden of the coming generations,” he said.

Presenting the joint statement, director of the cultural center of the national minorities Razmik Khosroev noted that “Turkey is a great criminal, which has destroyed  civilizations and should stand trial for committing genocides against not only Armenians, but also Greeks, Assyrians, Kurds, Bulgarians, Serbs and other peoples.”

“We view the events in Kessab not as the internal affair of Syria or Turkey, but as an extraordinary case of mass violation of human rights. We urge the heirs of the peoples subjected to genocide and the whole international community to file a suit against today’s Turkey for the crimes committed in the past and demand the return of the seized property, the historical, cultural and other heritage to their rightful owners,” Khosroev said.

The Kurdish Armenian community also condemns the Turkish provokers, who continue their criminal policy even in the 21st century. President of the “Kurdistan Committee” Zhenya Amiryan said the solution of the issue is in unity.

“Only through unity we can counter the Turkish authorities. They are committing new crimes one year before the centenary of the Armenian Genocide,” she said.

Condemning Turkey’s past and present policies, President of the Atur Assyrian Association Arsen Mikhaylov noted that nations that have been subjected to genocide have to raise their voice every day, not on concrete occasions.