Aziz Tamoyan: Armenia is safest country for Yazidis

The plight of Iraqi Yazidis has worsened in the past week, and they are in a difficult situation now, Aziz Tamoyan, the head of National Union of Yazidis NGO, told reporters today.

Tamoyan stressed the inadmissibility of genocide in the 21st century. In his words, some of the Yazidi people are being exterminated in Turkey, others – in Syria, and although the Syrian government helps Yezidis, its help is insignificant.

“Syria has its own problems. We ask the United States to continue actively providing relief to Yazidis as the Islamists’ goal is not limited to Yazidis’ extermination. Their real goal is to create an Islamic state. We speak about human rights, but today we don’t see this institute functioning. Why is everyone silent when an entire nation is dying of hunger? This Islamic wave will sweep the whole world,” A. Tamoyan said.

According to him, about 2,300 Yazidi women are being held captive and they need to be rescued. “300 Yazidi women and girls were sold in a market in Syria. It is unacceptable that women are sold as sex slaves in the 21st century,” Aziz Tamoyan said resentfully.

Many of Iraqi Yazidis want to move to Armenia as it is the safest country for them, the union chairman noted.

Making an appeal to other countries, Tamoyan said that if they want to help Yazidis, they should send money to the Yazidi people, rather than to the Iraqi government.

“The money should be sent to Lalish, Yazidis’ cultural center and their place of pilgrimage in Northern Iraq. Relief donations for the Yazidi people can be transferred to an account opened in Armenia,” Aziz Tamoyan said.