Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

[lampron]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

Many of them were monolingual in Russian and the move from (then) cosmopolitan Baku to Armenia would certainly have been a major culture shock so it isn't surprising that many opted for Moscow or Leningrad or Rostov.

But there does seem to have been an attempt at integration on part of the Soviet Armenian state -- I have attached a picture of a Russian language booklet (printed in 1989 and meant to introduce basic/colloquial Armenian to the reader) that was distributed to Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan.

You have interviewed them and they have told you the only reason they moved out of Armenia was the language? But most Armenians in Yerevan have been fluent in Russian for decades and feel extremely happy to communicate in it

don't need any lessons from you on their (genuine) grievances against the Armenian authorities and oligarchs.

so as a half-Syrian Armenian who has studied at the AGBU you know all about living at the mercy of Armenian crooks in Armenia? And having suffered under them you are convinced that life in Russia would necessarily be worse?

[gegev]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

everything you heard that life could not be better for them is exactly the opposite of what I have heard. Read the quote in my post above. You live comfortably and you like to believe in fairly tales? That's up to you
perfect answer from a perfectly moronized Armenian!

I welcome lamprom posts, because readers feel/see that it is a perfect Turkish/enemy propaganda and will do the opposite of what he/she suggests.

It is intended to keep Armenians out of motherland, in Muslim/other countries, under constant threat to their survival, by the way according to demographic predictions in 50 years Russia would become a predominantly Islamic country and partially this is the reason of selling Smerch to Azeries. This is the tragedy of the big Empires compared with mono-ethnic small countries like Armenia.

Please lampron try your best in carrying out that mission.

[lampron]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

I welcome lamprom posts, because readers feel/see that it is a perfect Turkish/enemy propaganda and will do the opposite of what he/she suggests.

It is intended to keep Armenians out of motherland, in Muslim/other countries, under constant threat to their survival, by the way according to demographic predictions in 50 years Russia would become a predominantly Islamic country and partially this is the reason of selling Smerch to Azeries.

huh?? what are predictions about Russia becoming Islamic have anything to do with many Armenians preferring life in Russia to Armenia?

Please lampron try your best in carrying out that mission.

OK))

[gegev]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

huh?? what are predictions about Russia becoming Islamic have anything to do with many Armenians preferring life in Russia to Armenia?
OK))

Good for you; you don't see any threat/danger to the life of Christian Armenians in Islamic countries.

[TomServo]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

You have interviewed them and they have told you the only reason they moved out of Armenia was the language? But most Armenians in Yerevan have been fluent in Russian for decades and feel extremely happy to communicate in it

so as a half-Syrian Armenian who has studied at the AGBU you know all about living at the mercy of Armenian crooks in Armenia? And having suffered under them you are convinced that life in Russia would necessarily be worse?

Have you interviewed them all and been told that the only reason they moved out of Armenia was because of the church or the government? ...No? Yerevan was never as Russophone a city as Baku -- Russian was spoken as a second language by the majority of the population, and especially in the late 80s/perestroika period, there would have been a greater emphasis on speaking the republic's national language. By the way, I never said it was the sole reason.

I don't remember saying a thing about the AGBU -- where did that come from? And no, dear, I know that life would be worse for them in Russia because I read these things called newspapers and scholarly articles which have documented the growing xenophobia since the collapse. If they reject Russophone Tajiks, Uzbeks, and even "immigrants" from within the federation (Dagestanis, Chechens), what makes you think Syrian Armenians would be "better received" there?

[lampron]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

Have you interviewed them all and been told that the only reason they moved out of Armenia was because of the church or the government? ...No? Yerevan was never as Russophone a city as Baku -- Russian was spoken as a second language by the majority of the population, and especially in the late 80s/perestroika period, there would have been a greater emphasis on speaking the republic's national language. By the way, I never said it was the sole reason.

I don't remember saying a thing about the AGBU -- where did that come from? And no, dear, I know that life would be worse for them in Russia because I read these things called newspapers and scholarly articles which have documented the growing xenophobia since the collapse. If they reject Russophone Tajiks, Uzbeks, and even "immigrants" from within the federation (Dagestanis, Chechens), what makes you think Syrian Armenians would be "better received" there?

I meant AUB.........yes there is xenophobia but millions of people (maybe 10 million) from the Caucasus and Central Asia still consider Russia to be better than their own countries

Syrians themselves have arrived in Russia, not speaking Russian. Armenians in Iraq and Syria and Lebanon and Egypt didn't speak any Arabic in the beginning

[TomServo]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

I meant AUB.........yes there is xenophobia but millions of people (maybe 10 million) from the Caucasus and Central Asia still consider Russia to be better than their own countries

Have you interviewed them? Or is this just another fact? They have moved there for economic reasons, not because Russia is "better than their own countries." The corruption and oligarchy is just as bad as in any of the Central Asian or Caucasian states.

I've never been to the AUB.

[lampron]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

Have you interviewed them? Or is this just another fact? They have moved there for economic reasons, not because Russia is "better than their own countries." The corruption and oligarchy is just as bad as in any of the Central Asian or Caucasian states.

I've never been to the AUB.

So having lived in both Russia and the other countries you are able declare that

The corruption and oligarchy is just as bad as in any of the Central Asian or Caucasian states.

now you have convinced me!

[londontsi]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

....... living at the mercy of Armenian crooks in Armenia?
And having suffered under them you are convinced that life in Russia would necessarily be worse?

If you look at the immigrant hierarch in your own society you would see where
in the pecking order would somebody without the knowledge of the local language be.

They would be right at the bottom, candidates for exploitation and abuse irrespective of their education or expertise.
Trying to support a family under those circumstances would be soul destroying.
I have seen it too often in the UK.

Considering this, to suggest a typical Syrian Armenian who is fairly streetwise and ambitious would accept this alternative
does not hold water.

After all Syria was (is) not Pakistan or Bangladesh and the Syrian Armenians the untouchables ( Harijan ) of the subcontinent.

P.S.
I follow the Armenian media fairly closely.
The only comment as pressing issue I have noted is housing.
Apparently they prefer houses as opposed to apartments.
I understand subsidies have been allocated towards buying land for this purpose (for the Syrian Armenians).

.
One more thing .... the neighbourhood of Nor-Haleb has also been created.


.

[londontsi]

Re: Christians from Syria and Egypt seek refuge in the Caucasus

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/25041395.html

More Syrians Move To Armenia



Syrians of Armenian descent have continued to take refuge in Armenia in recent months, raising to around 10,000 the number of such people currently living in their ancestral homeland, a government official in Yerevan said on Tuesday.

Lusine Stepanian, a representative of the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, said the figure is the latest government estimate of the size of the Syrian Armenian refugee population in the country.

The ministry spoke late last year of some 6,000 Syrian Armenians based in Armenia. Many of them fled Syria after fierce fighting reached Aleppo, the Arab state’s largest city.

The once-thriving Armenian community in Syria numbered an estimated 80,000 members before the outbreak of the brutal civil war there two years ago. Most of them lived in Aleppo.

The Armenian government last year took a series of measures to make it easier for Syrian Armenians to settle in Armenia. President Serzh Sarkisian said in May that the government will continue to do its best to alleviate their plight.

However, the government is too cash-strapped to provide large-scale economic assistance to the refugees. Many of them are struggling to find decent housing and jobs in the impoverished country.

According to Stepanian, most of the Syrian Armenians live in rented apartments in Yerevan. She said they are increasingly relocating from the city’s expensive center to outskirts where housing prices are considerably lower.

“Around 600 Syrian Armenian families have expressed a desire to buy apartments in Armenia with state support,” Stepanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “Three hundred of those families have already applied for buying apartments in the New Aleppo neighborhood in Ashtarak.”

In Stepanian’s words, the applicants will pay half of the cost of the apartments to be built in the town 20 kilometers west of Yerevan. Private benefactors will provide the rest of the funding, the official said, adding that the government has already set aside land for the Ashtarak neighborhood.

Salpi Javakhchurian and her family moved to Yerevan from Aleppo earlier this year, leaving behind an expensive house and three shops owned by them. The family has decided to buy an apartment in the Armenian capital.

“This is our homeland,” explained Javakhchurian. “I feel like this is my city. There is hardship and some people may offend us, but nobody can tell us to get out of here.”