Lawyer Varuzhan Avetikyan referred to the explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut and the damage suffered by Armenians, noting:

“I know that many do not know exactly where the Beirut explosion took place and what impact it had on the Armenian community. The large round, red dot on the upper left is the site of the explosion. The part taken in the red circle are the most Armenian-populated districts (Burj Hammoud, Hachn, Marash, Mar Mikhael, Ashrafieh, etc.). If you look closely, there is a place in the middle of the red circle called Karantina. That word comes from the word Quarantinne. Tens of thousands of Armenians, including my 4-year-old grandfather Daniel Agha, settled and lived in that region for many years. One of the first buildings built by Armenians in Karantina was a tin church and a school. Later, along with economic prosperity, Armenians moved from Karantina to nearby, more prosperous neighborhoods.

Talking to many Armenians in Beirut, it becomes clear that there is extreme despair in Beirut. Loss of hope is the most painful and dangerous. Yes, the loss of human life is the heaviest, but the loss of housing and sources of income is no less severe. And our compatriots have mostly lost them (according to some estimates 40% -80%).

I do not write Pray for Beirut. Praying will not solve the problem right now. I write Hand to Beirut. Of course, it is good that the Armenian government has provided urgent humanitarian aid, but the whole charm of statehood is that we can embrace our compatriots and the hospitable Lebanese people, just as Beirut received little Daniel and tens of thousands other Armenians after the 1915 massacre. We are lucky because we have that statehood.

In line with my call, I declare that I am ready to provide employment for up to 3 immigrants from Lebanon and provide them with an apartment on Saryan Street free of charge for a year, until people can get up.

I also call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs to collect and inventory all such proposals and to host the desperate people as soon as possible.

105 years later, it is our turn. #handbeirut”.