On August 21, the Armenian government passed a resolution to allocate $100 000 in aid to Iraq’s Yazidi population in light of the recent political crisis in the region.
The press centre for the RA government reports that assistance will be provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Although the Armenian government had previously decided to allocate $50 000 in humanitarian aid, on August 18, President Serzh Sargsyan commissioned to increase that amount.
In early August, radical Islamist militants occupied the city of Sinjar in Iraq’s northern border, which is largely inhabited by Yazidis. The Yazidi population, who consider the city to be their homeland, were forced to flee to the surrounding mountains. Being deprived of food, water, and medical treatment, these families are in dire need.
On August 14, the Armenian Yazidi community organized a protest in front of the Armenian parliament, the United Nations office, and the American, French, and Russian embassies.
On August 15, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tigran Balayan, released a statement affirming that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shares the outrage of the Yazidi population in Armenia regarding the tragic developments in Iraq.
Civilnet interviewed Middle East specialist Vardan Voskanyan and Boris Mourazi, head of Sinjar Yazidi National Union, to educate our viewers on this crisis.
Read this in Armenian.
