PM Pashinyan and Russian President Putin Discuss the Crisis in Syria During a Phone Conversation

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with RF President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Following up on the talks held in Ashgabat capital of Turkmenistan, at the CIS Summit, the two heads of state discussed the situation in Northern Syria including the safety of ethnic Armenians remaining in the area in light of Turkish military operations conducted there. The two leaders also touched upon other regional issues.

“Yesterday I made a request to [Putin at Ashgabat] which is important in terms of the security of the Armenian community in Syria,” Pashinyan wrote on Facebook later on Saturday. “I am grateful to the Russian president for his rapid response.” He did not elaborate.

The Armenian government has condemned Turkey’s incursion into northeastern Syrian regions mostly controlled by Kurdish militia. It has said it is particularly concerned about the security of ethnic and religious minorities living there.

Those include a few thousand ethnic Armenians mostly based in the border town of Qamishli. The secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, said on Friday that Yerevan is ready to help them take refuge in their historical homeland.

Armenia has already taken in more than 20,000 Syrian Armenian refugees since the outbreak of the bloody conflict in Syria. Most of them used to live in the northern city of Aleppo.

In February, more than 80 Armenian demining experts, army medics and other non-combat military personnel were deployed in and around Aleppo. Pashinyan made clear last week that the Armenian military will continue the “humanitarian mission” closely coordinated with Russia.