According to the member of the Armenian National Committee of Greece, Hovik Kasapian, about 70 people from Greece have been registered and intend to go to Artsakh and fight, or contribute in other ways to the war effort against Azerbaijan's invasion attempt.
Describing the interest of Greeks to help the Armenian people fighting in Artsakh, Kasapian said in his interview with Ethnos that many people call to ask how they can help by offering money and medical supplies.
There are also those who intend to go to Artsakh to help in other ways, even to fight on the side of the Armenians.
At the same time, the number of Armenians in Greece who have been registered and are ready to go to Artsakh to help in any way they can in the war against the Azeris and the jihadists brought there by Turkey has reached about 70 people. The list, which even includes women, has been sent to the Armenian embassy in Greece and they will decide whether such a mission will take place.
"I hope the Armenian army completes its mission and the war ends now that we are talking. All those in the list have clearly expressed their intention to go to the area and help in any way they can, motivated by their love for the homeland. It's not just frontline battles. There are also auxiliary forces, water supply assistance, watchtowers and other unarmed services. Armenia does not ask and do not wait for fighters from Greece because no matter how ambitious and courageous someone is, he can be reckless if he is not educated. The Armenian embassy will decide whether such a mission will take place, but I believe that such a thing will not be requested," said Kasapian.
Regarding the presence of Greeks in the relevant list, he said that there are some Greek names in it.
"I was personally called by a Pontian living in Greece who came from Armenia, who asked to go and fight in Artsakh. However, we do not want to put Greek foreign policy in adventures. The presence of Greeks in a war so far from its borders involves great risks and can be blamed on Greece. This is not a football match," said Kasapian.
According to him, the mobilization of the Armenians diaspora - including the Armenians in Greece - is huge since the start of the crisis in Artsakh. It is noteworthy that so far about 121 million euros have been raised in just three weeks in the Himnadram global bank account, which has existed since 1993, and the fundraising continues. About 300,000 euros of this money came from Armenians in Greece, while also among those who contributed are Greeks.
Also, Armenians from Greece offer to give and send to Artsakh medical equipment.
At the same time, as Kasapian states, the moral support offered by the Armenian diaspora in Greece to the struggling people of Artsakh is enormous.
"We are organizing rallies, we are marching, while the help of ESIEA [Association of Editors of Athens Daily Newspapers] was also important, as it hosted the President of Armenia in an online press conference. We also meet with local leaders and give our fight through social media" Kasapian said.
According to Kasapian, at the moment, despite the firepower of Azerbaijan, the Armenian army maintains its positions. Artsakh's casualties, including soldiers and civilians, so far amount to about 800.
"There are more casualties among Azeris. There are ISIS jihadists among them and this can be seen from the fact that the Azeris do not take their corpses from the battlefield. The Artsakh conflict is in a rural area with very low buildings," he said.
"Some houses have been destroyed and monuments and churches have been damaged. The civilians have left the warzone and have been transferred to the areas near the border with Armenia, but also within Armenian territory. Positions in Armenia have also been hit by Turkish-made drones. So far, about 200 such drones have been shot down," Kasapian concluded.
Romanos Kontogiannidis is a correspondent for Ethnos.