Liana Yeghiazaryan
“Radiolur”
There are currently 489 Syrian Armenian families in Armenia. The issues of housing and employment remain the most urgent for them.
The number of Syrian Armenians moving to the Motherland tends to grow, although there has not been an abrupt increase this year, Head of the General Education Department of the Yerevan City Hall Gayane Soghomonyan told reporters today.
The Yerevan City Hall has conducted a social-statistical analysis, has assessed the needs and priorities to raise the efficiency of the programs of support to Syrian Armenians.
According to the study, the issues of accommodation and employment remain the most pressing. Despite the high fees, Syrian Armenians prefer to rent apartments in the most expensive districts in central Yerevan.
The Municipality has paid the apartment rent and provided medicines to 156 most vulnerable Syrian Armenian families, Gayane Soghomonyan said. Tens of Syrian Armenians receive pensions. Parents of a new-born baby have received financial assistance.
Head of the Social Security Department of the Yerevan City Hall pointed to other problems Syrian Armenians face here. It’s first of all the language barrier, she said. It’s hard for those speaking Western Armenian and Arabic to understand Eastern Armenian mixed with Russian, therefore intensive Armenian and Russian language courses have been organized.
About 370 Syrian Armenian children attending the Cilicean school also study the history of religion and Armenian history in Eastern Armenian, she said.
