Jul 27, 2015

UNPO's XII General Assembly Adopts Assyria Resolution


On 3 July 2015, representatives from the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) presented this resolution to UNPO’s XII General Assembly, recalling the genocide of the Assyrian people during World War I, and bringing attention to the current ongoing atrocities in Iraq and Syria. Furthermore, it calls for the international community to establish Safe Zones and to assist the Assyrians in their most immediate needs. UNPO has adopted the resolution, and henceforth will seek to further these aims.

 

Honourable UNPO representatives,

On behalf of the Assyrian Universal Alliance and our affiliate organizations worldwide I would like to bring your attention the current plight of Assyrians and other ethnic religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

One hundred years ago, during World War I, Assyrian people witnessed an act of Genocide and were displaced by force in the Middle East. Our ancestral lands, culture, heritage, books, beliefs and traditions were attacked and destroyed in an act of ethnic cleansing. The genocide committed against our people, the Assyrians, nearly obliterated a thriving and ancient nation, which had maintained itself in the face of many adversities prior to that time.

Today, history once again is repeating itself in Iraq and Syria. I still remember my grandmother’s eyewitness accounts of the heinous acts committed against our people during that time. I never imagined that one day I would witness similar genocidal acts occurring to my people and others in the region. The difference between the genocide of the last century and the current ongoing atrocities is the immediate global awareness of the dire situation faced by the countless innocent souls. Without any protection and assistance, the indigenous Assyrians are left to defend themselves with minimal means against the well-equipped brutal forces of ISIS.

We expect the United Nations Security Council to take immediate and measurable action to protect the indigenous Assyrians, who have contributed greatly to world civilization and humanity. As such, I request your attention to the following important matters that will assist the Assyrians in Iraq and Syria:

Establish a Safe Zone in Iraq’s Nineveh Plain and Syria’s Jazeera Region; Enable and assist the Assyrians to defend their ancestral homes and families; Provide relief aid to Assyrians in order to stabilize their conditions; Assist the internally-displaced populations and refugees so they can return to their homes and to rebuild their lives; and Assist the Assyrians in their medical needs, education, and employment.

We look forward to your assistance in these matters.

Respectfully,

Yonathan Betkolia

Secretary-General Assyrian Universal Alliance