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Aleppo-Armenian Vruyr Bilemjyan arrived in Armenia on August 14 this year as a “tourist”, but he was urged to stay in Armenia because of the confrontation in Syria. Now he studies at Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, and is a second year student at Pharmaceuticals department. Panorama.am had an interview with Vruyr.

- What is the situation in Aleppo now? What do your relatives and friends say?

- Most of them are in Armenia or Beirut now. And those who remained there say that the situation worsens. There is no flicker for optimism. I think that conflict will not get a solution for a long time.

- Don’t you advise your friend and relatives who are in Syria to come to Armenia?

- Every person has his own business, his home, family. It’s hard to leave everything and to come here. Our thoughts are with Syria, however. We hope that we will return to Aleppo one day as our ties are there. When we were there we used to think that we will return to Armenia one day and will live here forever. But everything happened so quickly; the conditions urged.

- How did you use to see the New Year in Aleppo?

- We used to gather in the canteen on New Year day. We all prayed at 12 o’clock, then danced and sang till the morning, celebrated gorgeously. We were also putting tables at home. There were families who used to see the New Year at homes organizing family meetings and fests.

- What about your Arab friends? Did they know what the Christians are celebrating?

- Sure they knew. On that day we were decorating some districts of Aleppo with lights. It was very beautiful. Arabs used to come out of their homes at night and enjoyed that beauty.

- How will you celebrate it here?

- At the restaurant.

- Would you prefer to see the 2013 in Aleppo?

- It’s a difficult question. I think it will be happier and better here, the thing is that we don’t have too many friends here.

- What would you wish for the Armenians that are in Syria now?

- Let the God help them and not leave them in worse conditions. I hope everything will end very soon.

- What would you ask from Santa Claus?

- Peace, health and success to people.