Armenia has strongly condemned the destruction of the Armenian Church in Deir el-Zor.
“We strongly condemn the explosion by terrorists of the Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir el-Zor, dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide, which housed the remains of its many victims,” Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement.
“This horrible barbarity against a holy site yet again demonstrates the savage nature of the so called “Islamic state” terrorist group,” teh Minister said.
“The international community should immediately stop, eradicate this plague, which threatens to civilized world and should uproot the channels of its financing, support and sponsorship,” Minister Nalbandian concluded.
Terrorists from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) blew up the Shuhadaa al-Arman (Armenians Martyrs) Church, located in al-Rashidyeh Neighborhood in Deir el-Zor city.
The church was built in 1989-1990, and consecrated a year later. A genocide memorial and a museum housing remains of the victims of the genocide was also built in the church compound.
Thousands of Armenians from Syria and neighboring countries gathered at the memorial every year on April 24 to commemorate the genocide.
