Your Come Home project is often mocked; will you continue carrying out that project? In response to this question, Hranush Hakobyan, the Minister of the Diaspora, said during a conversation with journalists: “Who mocks deserves being mocked, to say the least, because the Come Home project is a brilliant project. Within the framework of the Come Home project, thousands of families in Armenia look forward, with open doors, to receiving Armenian children, thousands of families say excitedly: ‘Let me go and see my peer, my friend.’ They become close, make friends. I don’t think one can develop a more encouraging project.” Hranush Hakobyan assured that one shouldn’t confuse the Come Home project with repatriation. “Come Home is a project of familiarization with the fatherland. We bring an Armenian youth here in order that he familiarizes himself with our fatherland, sees admires, and wonders.” The minister urged us to visit their camp and see how they light a fire in the fatherland. “You should see how they weep, what requests they make, they ask us to keep them for a few more days. They really become Armenians. I am convinced that if we see the seeds of the Come Home project now, we will see the fruits afterwards, because those youths, whatever they become, will surely help Armenia someday.” The Minister also stated that 10 of those youths had already married in Armenia; more than 50 studied at Armenian universities. “Therefore, the results are fascinating. Those who don’t understand, don’t go into it don’t know what is what. Israel is surprised that we bring them and have them stay in homes; they don’t have them in homes.” The minister asked journalists to abstain from running on about the Come Home project, without understanding it.
Hranush Hakobyan absolutely disagreed with the observation that there has been a rise in emigration from our country since the Ministry of the Diaspora was established. “I absolutely disagree with you. Ask yourself how many of you had talked about the Diaspora, problems of the Diaspora. When this ministry started to work, you started to deal with those problems.” The minister thinks that the opening of their ministry just coincided with the global financial crisis, which deepened emigration. “Believe me, the Ministry of the Diaspora doesn’t encourage emigration; it encourages immigration. Thousands of people come, settle down in Armenia. Armenian Syrians are testimony to that: 7000 of them have come and none of them has left. This testifies to the fact that the fatherland has become a place of permanent residence for them.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
