It’s very important to shed light on the armed groups that invaded Kessab, their formation in Turkey, their funding from Turkey and the provision of weapons and underline the fact that the international community, which has declared a war on terror, must definitely take this into consideration. This is what Editor-in-Chief of Aztag Daily Shahan Kantaharian said as he touched upon the invasion of extremist Islamist groupings from Turkey in Kessab in an interview with Yerkir.am. Shahan Kantaharian mentioned that the Syrian army managed to recapture the positions that were under the control of the soldiers that attacked Kessab from three different areas of Turkey, but the armed groups attacked the next day. Shahan Kantaharian also mentioned that there was a danger right from the start of the war.

Kantaharian mentioned two reasons why Turkey decided to provoke the groups to attack Kessab now. “The first reason is that this is a response to the advancement of pro-government forces in different cities across Syria. The second reason is that these operations were being delayed or weren’t starting due to the geopolitical situation. “Let’s not forget that Russia is more focused on the issues of Ukraine and Crimea now. This might be a more appropriate time for Turkey to release armed groupings from its territories,” said Shahan Kantaharian. Kantaharian expressed certainty that all Armenians, including Armenia and the Diaspora, must keep the issue of the Kessab-Armenians in their focus and take adequate measures. There is a need for coordinated efforts of the country and Diaspora Armenian organizations. There has to be support and advocacy. Shahan Kantaharian also mentioned another possible issue, and that is bringing the evacuating or migrating Armenians to the homeland in case of need.

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