Syrian Armenians change their mind, plan to settle in Armenia – Diaspora Ministry official
Most of Syrian Armenians who fled Syria to Armenia as conflict erupted in Syria have changed their mind and plan to settle in Armenia, Firdus Zakaryan, Armenian Diaspora Ministry Chief of Staff, told Panorama.am in an interview.
According to him, in view of this circumstance, Armenian Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan applied to Armenian Education and Science Ministry for transforming Yerevan Kilikian College into a school with Arabic and Western Armenian bias.
“The issue is being discussed currently,” the official said, adding that if the project is approved, the school will be the first such institution in Armenia.
According to the official, if the Education Ministry approves the project, the current curriculum of the college will be changed and new subjects will be introduced, such as Armenian History, Armenian Literature, etc.
Mr Zakaryan, however, found it difficult to say whether Armenian children can also study at the school.
Syria's turmoil began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in March 2011. It crossed an important threshold a year and a half later, when the international Red Cross formally declared it a civil war.
The casualty tallies continue to climb higher as fighting rages across the country. Tens of thousands are fleeing Syria. At least 93,000 people have been killed in Syria since the start of the conflict, according to latest United Nations figures. This represents a rise of more than 30,000 since the UN last issued figures covering the period to November 2012.