SIDNEY, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS. Australian Armenian Sassoon Grigorian intends to climb Ararat Mountain with a small group aimed to help Syrian Armenian children. Grigorian hopes to raise money in that way which will be allocated for the needs of Armenians affected by the war in Syria who have found shelter in their historical motherland Armenia. As “Armenpress” reports, citing Australian ABC news agency, the climbing has been organized by the “Mission Armenia “ NGO funded by the UNHCR.

Climbing to the top of Ararat has been the life dream of Sassoon Grigorian. "Mount Ararat is a very symbolic mountain. It's the highest mountain in Turkey but for Armenians it has a very significant influence," said Grigorian.

But for the Australian Armenian young man climbing to the top of Ararat is also a unique type of pilgrimage dedicated to the support by Australia to Armenians during the years of the Armenian Genocide. Australia is the first country that established an Armenian orphanage in Lebanon.

Historian Peter Stanley, from the University of New South Wales in Canberra, said the trek symbolizes the close relationship between Australia and Armenia.

"I think it's an extraordinary throwback to a huge Australian effort to relieve the sufferings of the victims of the Armenian genocide during the First World War, but into the 1920s and 30s," Professor Stanley said.

As a result of war broken in Syria nearly 15.000 Syrian Armenians have come to Armenia, some of them later returned to Syria and a smaller part left for Europe.