Armenia’s government acknowledged on Monday that it is currently unable to assist ethnic Armenians in fleeing Aleppo, Syria, after Islamist rebels unexpectedly seized control of the city.
Aleppo, once home to the majority of Syria’s 80,000-strong Armenian population, has seen its community diminish by more than half since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Estimates suggest that as many as 10,000 ethnic Armenians may still remain in the city, though exact figures are unclear.
Among those affected was a 66-year-old local Armenian man who was fatally wounded while attempting to flee the city over the weekend.
“People are cautious and in a state of waiting,” said Zarmig Boghigian, editor of the Aleppo-based Armenian-language newspaper Kantsasar.
She reported that while airstrikes have rocked Aleppo, residential areas have not seen direct fighting. One such strike, likely conducted by Russian or Syrian government forces, shattered the windows of her apartment. Despite the chaos, the city still has about 12 to 14 hours of electricity daily, most shops remain open, and schools are closed.
In Yerevan, Hovannes Aleksanyan, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, stated that evacuating Aleppo’s Armenians is currently impossible.
“Even [Syrian] government forces cannot access Aleppo right now, making evacuation nearly impossible,” Aleksanian said, adding that the Armenian government would act if evacuation becomes viable with the cooperation of its embassy in Damascus and the Syrian authorities.
Armenia had maintained a consulate in Aleppo until the rebel takeover. Ara Avetisyan, the Armenian consul, left for Damascus on November 26, one day before the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched its rapid offensive. He has been unable to return due to the escalation.
Meanwhile, as the rebels entered Aleppo on Friday, the Armenian military evacuated its small contingent of sappers, medics, and noncombat personnel stationed near the city since 2019.
