John Evans: “Streets of Europe and America are not paved with gold”
Many are leaving because of conditions at home and hopes of a better life elsewhere,- says former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to Armenia John Evans,- some will be disappointed to learn that the streets of Europe and America are not paved with gold. But Evans also doesn’t reject, “Others may find what they are looking for.” He says, “There is a world-wide movement of people underway, not only Arabs, but Afghans and Africans and people from South America. The causes are many. By no means all are refugees in the strict legal sense.” During the online press conference organized by “Region” center Mr. Evans doesn’t specifically answer the question of “A1+” that ‘Don’t you think that the flow from the Arab world is partially the result of the US policy?’ The Ambassador also reminds, “In the meantime, the traffickers who take large sums of money from migrants in return for dangerous boat rides across the Mediterranean are exploiting these people’s fears and hopes, often with the tragic consequences that we have all seen.” “Armenia has been right to offer refuge to Syrians and Yazidis; you will find that they can contribute to building your country,” says Mr. Evans. By the way, Mr. Evans had answered our questions before Russia began the first airstrike against the ISIS. He commented on the latest interview of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and stressed, “I think President al-Assad considers himself basically pro-Western, if that term means anything in today’s conditions, and feels betrayed by the West. In turn, there are many in the West who have run out of patience with the Syrian ruler. No doubt everyone in Syria would prefer that things had turned out differently than they have, but there are forces at work in the region that have created a truly awful mess there. Maybe we will see some renewed international cooperation in the weeks and months ahead.”
