The arms and ammunition that Turkey provides abundantly to the opposition forces in the Syrian crisis are passing very easily in the hands of extremist fundamentalist elements that have entered Syria from other countries. This fact is a cause of deep concern amongst the Christian minorities of Syria. The threatening declarations against Armenians and members of other Christian minorities in Syria, that coincide with information concerning violent acts, demonstrate the seriousness of the situation. The Assembly of the Armenians of Europe expresses its concern for the dangers threatening the life and the well being of the unarmed and peaceful Christian population of Syria and declares: The present Turkish government, heir of the Ottoman government that was responsible for the genocide of the Armenians and their forced exile from their ancestral lands, is continuing the traditional racist policy of all Turkish governments and will be held immediately responsible for any undesirable violation of the rights of the Armenian and other Christian minorities of Syria. We warn the Turkish government as to the results of their policies and we call them to stop fomenting religious hatred and passions in Syria. We appeal to the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Martin Schulz, to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Catherine Ashton and the European Commission to adopt immediate measures in order to prevent the dangers that threaten the Armenian and other Christian communities of Syria, dangers that are sometimes caused by the direct or indirect policies of a number of European governments. We also appeal to the General Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moun, to adopt the proper measures in order to put an end to the dangerous Turkish policy of arming extremist elements in Syria. The Assembly of the Armenians of Europe expresses its solidarity to all the efforts of the UN officials to stop the further loss of human lives, to care for the thousands of refugees and to promote a peaceful solution of the crisis. August 29, 2012 Assembly of the Armenians of Europe Uppsala, Sweden

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