About 1,000 Syrian Armenian families have been provided with temporary housing

Aida Avetisyan
Public Radio of Armenia

The issues of Syrian Armenians were discussed today at a conference titled “On the Paths of Assimilation” organized by the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO. Accommodation and employment remain the main problems Syrian Armenians face in the Motherland.  The participants referred also to the events in Kessab.

About 12 thousand Syrian Armenians have arrived in Armenia since 2012. Ever since more than 1,000  families have applied for temporary housing. A number of international and pan-Armenian organizations and private entrepreneurs have supported them by paying the rent, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan said. She reminded about plans to build the “New Aleppo” district in the city of Ashtarak for Syrian Armenians.

The Minister said “1,765 Syrian Armenians have applied for job, more then half of them are now employed. ” Steps have been taken to support the business circles, which will, in turn, contribute to the development of Armenia’s economy, she added.

“The government has allocated about 0.5 million AMD to representatives of small and medium-sized businesses,” Hranush Hakobyan said, adding that 70 business programs heva already been called to life.