Syrian Armenians Seek Refuge in Armenia

Aren Kurumlian, aged 15, left Aleppo, Syria for a two-week Boy Scout camp in Armenia. Nine months later, he and his family are living in Yerevan, Armenia, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Aren Kurumlian looks at a wall map with a friend from Syria, Yerevan, Armenia, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Between classes, Syrian Armenian students mingle with Armenian classmates at High School No. 114 in Yerevan, Armenia, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Syrian Armenians find a home in the Anteb Restaurant, owned by Syrian Armenians in Yerevan, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

A waitress puts in an order at Anteb, where the accents and cuisine are from western Armenia, the ancestral homeland for most Syrian Armenians, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

At Anteb, the cook follows the old recipes of western Armenia, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Sarkiss Rshdouni, a 25 year old from Aleppo, works in Yerevan as a foreign currency trader, a job where he can use his Arabic skills, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Sarkiss Balkhian grew up in Syria and went to university in the United States before coming to Armenia, his ancestral homeland, to help refugees adjust to their new lives, February 20, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Syrian Armenians worship at St. Sarkis Church in central Yerevan, Armenia, February 25, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)