On April 3, 2014, a delegation from the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, appeared before the Parliamentary Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in the House of Commons, Ottawa, asking the Government of Canada to join the international condemnation of the recent violence endangering the Armenian community of Kessab.
On behalf of the Governmental Relations Office of the Diocese of Canada, and its Director, Dn. Hagop Aslanian, Mrs. Ani Mardian, presented a brief seeking humanitarian aid and assistance to help safeguard Kessab and the other vulnerable minority groups in the area. The presentation detailed the current grim circumstances and dire needs of the Armenian community, following atrocities which resulted in their mass exodus from Kessab.
A question and answer period followed the briefing, providing the opportunity for the Standing Committee, to examine and review the exigent situation for the Armenians. Questions were posed on both humanitarian and security matters. Mr. Roupen Kouyoumdjian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, was present to respond to the political and historical aspects of the situation in Kessab. He expressed his fears: “that we are now witnessing the beginning of the process leading to another grave tragedy for the innocent Armenian citizens as a direct result of these attacks and following an alarming conversation that was leaked last week between Turkish officials where Turkey plots to attack Syria”
Members of Parliamentary Committee, representing the three major parties: including David Sweet, Wayne Marston, Irwin Cotler, Tyrone Benskin, and Nina Grewal, posed in depth questions to follow up on the content of the briefing. The Diocesan delegation focused on two specific fronts: Constructive diplomacy and humanitarian assistance. The delegation specifically asked Canada to set aside an allocation of direct funds for immediate aid to the Armenians, from the $353 million dollar humanitarian assistance pledged to Syria, and urged Canada to help protect Armenian lives by working closely with its NATO ally Turkey, to seal the borders into the Kessab region and stop the infiltration of Muslim extremists.
In conclusion, the Committee Chair, MP Scott Reid, thanked the delegation and extended the appreciation of the Standing Committee for the briefing to help apprise the committee with the pertinent information on the Kessab conflict.
