In the meanwhile, the political and economic commitments of state and non state actors to the unfolding humanitarian tragedy of refugees will play an important role. It appears to me from the concluding remarks of Madame Hranush Hakopyan, the Minister of Diaspora that the Government of Armenia will not only continue its support, but is also interested in raising the bar in partnership with others. While Armenia has accepted a high ratio of refugees as compared to its population, it is not alone in the region. Turkey's response to the Syrian refugee crisis has been huge according to a new report by the World Bank. Turkey now hosts the largest refugee population in the world and has financed its own refugee crisis mostly through a government-financed approach.

It has increasingly become clear that humanitarian assistance of the last few years must be paired with development interventions that can begin to respond to the scope, long-term nature, and socio-economic impacts of the refugee crisis, which is now a serious global matter. The Yerevan workshop which was focused on the topic of development has raised expectations along these lines.

But I'd like to come back to the plight vulnerable refugees in the West again. Last week I witnessed my first anti-refugee rally in the Netherlands in the presence of heavy riot police on horses.