His Holiness Aram I has said that the liberation of Deir ez-Zor is important for the Armenian people taking into account that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, with hundreds of thousands of them being marched to death to Deir ez-Zor.

Aram I on Thursday, September 7 met UN special envoy for Syria Steffan de Mistura at the Palais des Nations, the main building of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Also attending the meeting were Prof. Teni Perri-Simonian, president of the Swiss Armenian Foundation: ARMENOFAS and Rev. Bedros Manuelian, the head of Information and Communication department at the Catholicosate of Holy See of Cilicia.

At the meeting, the sides discussed and assessed the current situation in Syria.

De Mistura revealed his viewpoint regarding peace-building and negotiations in the war-torn Middle Eastern country, while His Holiness welcomed the gradual establishment of peace in Syria and noted that the liberation of Deir ez-Zor had an important significance for Armenians as it symbolizes the Armenian Genocide which was planned and executed by Ottoman Turkey.

Some three dozen states, hundreds of regional government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

Talking about the rehabilitation and rebuilding process of Syrian Armenian community, His Holiness stated that the community has already embarked on the process of identifying its priorities for community building.