HC Deb 09 July 1937 vol 326 c745W
Lieut.-Commander Fletcher

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether the government of the republic of Syria has now given any guarantee of protection to the Armenian refugees in Syria?

Viscount Cranborne

The Syrian Government has given no specific guarantee of protection to the Armenian refugees in Syria. The position of the Armenian minority, together with that of all other minorities in Syria, is, however, safeguarded by Exchange of Notes No. 5 attached to the Franco-Syrian Treaty which provides that the Syrian Government will ensure the maintenance of the guarantees contained in the Syrian Constitution in favour of individuals and communities, and that they will give full effect to these guarantees. The articles of the Syrian Constitution to which this Exchange of Notes refers are Nos. 5–28, which guarantee the freedom and rights of the individual and the equality of all races and religions in Syria.