EU to Provide €3 Million in Financial Assistance to Syrian Refugees in Armenia

YEREVAN — The European Union announced on Tuesday 3 million euros ($3.3 million) in financial assistance to thousands of ethnic Armenian citizens of Syria who have taken refuge in Armenia in the last few years.

The allocation is part of the EU’s fresh 275 million-euro aid package for millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and other countries.

The European Commission said the sum set aside for Syrian Armenians living in their ancestral homeland will support them “by enhancing access to health and psychosocial services, improving housing conditions, increasing access to economic opportunities, and by facilitating the integration of schoolchildren and students.” A statement by the EU’s executive body gave no further details.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini said: “We are giving a lifeline to millions of Syrians inside the country and across the region, helping create a future for Syrian refugees and host communities. By enabling girls and boys to access quality education, we are helping to prevent a lost generation of children whose lives have been devastated by the Syrian conflict. It is a moral duty, and it is also the smartest investment we can do in the security, stability and prosperity of our own region. So, ultimately, it is an investment in our own future.”

According to the data of the Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia, Armenia has received 22 thousand Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the war in Syria.