Expert: Syria’s Armenian-populated Kessab may face new attacks

15:20, 21.03.2015

YEREVAN. – Although the predominately Armenian-populated region of
Kessab in northwestern Syria is now controlled by the Syrian
government forces, the attacks on March 21 of last year may repeat.

Arab Studies specialist Armen Petrosyan stated the aforementioned at a
press conference on Saturday.

Petrosyan stressed that Kessab is in the Latakia Governorate, which is
populated by the followers of the religious affiliation of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, and therefore it has a target value.

“No one can give a guarantee that Kessab will not be attacked
[again],” the Arab Studies specialist noted.

Petrosyan found it difficult to make predictions on a possible
Turkey-sanctioned attack against Kessab on April 24, the centennial of
the Armenian Genocide. He added, however, that Turkey would not want
to create new problems for itself in the propaganda domain.

“Some local attacks are possible, but it is wrong to predict such
large-scale attacks as happened last year on March 21,” the analyst
said.

In his words, the main reason for the Arab Spring–i.e. the recent
uprisings across the Middle East–was that an attempt was made to
institute Western democratic values in the Middle East.