“Every time, when I think about returning to Armenia, the first thing that comes to my mind is to come for what to do, where to live and what work should I do to keep my family,” – says Aram. Several years ago he had left for France illegally. Like thousands of Armenians, Aram had left, so to speak, in search of his fortune, to find a better life or to try his luck. In an interview with “Aravot”, Aram tells that in the beginning, he had experienced untold hardships. Before leaving, he had no idea that he can spend nights on the street, sleep on a bench in the park under a tree. He was thinking that as soon as he steps down on a European country, he will immediately be provided with lodging and money, and life even without the status would be better than in Armenia. “Well, in the beginning, I was accommodated in a small room, where you could see many different nationalities, anti-hygienic conditions, perhaps 8-10 people should fit in a little plastic room.
I was sleeping sitting in a chair. Well, I had to endure. I was given a white paper and a coupon for the free meal in the cafeteria,” – tells Aram. The white paper was followed by a yellow paper a few months later, Aram says, this one is a “class” higher of the white paper and a possibility to stay longer, “You can receive social assistance and money with the yellow paper. And you wait until your issue is resolved: either you will be rejected or approved. And until they decide it, it takes a long time, in the meantime, you are able to find a job and make a good money. In addition, it is a matter of luck, it depends on what you have told and how you have reasoned leaving your homeland.” Some time later, Aram’s family joined him: his wife and minor child. Aram says that the French people have taken the fact into account that they have a minor child and have given a house with better conditions, and also some money for the care of the child and he, even though he works illegally, he is satisfied, “No matter how hard I had worked in Armenia, moreover in our city of Vanadzor, I would not make so much income.”
Aram and his family were once rejected to grant a refugee status, he has appealed, now he is waiting, he says, “Until they make a final decision, I will at least work in the meantime. If they reject, I will not go to Armenia, I will escape to another country. If I just come to Armenia, I will be alone and lonely. Here, even in these conditions, they treated us so well, visiting a doctor and treatment is free. In Armenia, seeing a doctor requires a lot of money, here, for example, if you enter a municipality for a piece of paper, you are treated with respect and kindness that you feel good. It is not only the social conditions that we leave our country for other places: there is no justice, the law is for selected people if you have a job, the salary is low.
Once, I took credit for setting up a business in Vanadzor, but I failed and I could not sell my products, there was nobody in the city to buy the product, taxes, payments for electricity, gas, rental, so my business failed. It was a confectionery “workshop”, I had to pay off the credit, my house was pledged for the credit, so it was sold at the auction, they took the share of the credit and I came to France with the rest of the money.” Aram refrains telling about the argument presented to the relevant authorities in France to grant a refugee status, he says that he does not want to tell everyone about it. Sometimes, fortune smiles Armenian migrants in Europe but not often, maybe one of thousand. Aram says that you can live in France for many years without having a citizenship, one day they can decide to send you back.
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Tigranuhi Tarakhchyan, program manager of “Targeted Initiative for Armenia” told “Aravot” that the migrants in European countries are applying for receiving shelter, the refugee status is the final stage unless, of course, they get, even one percent of the applicants do not get what the migrants have in foreign countries, these are temporary solutions. Tarakhchyan says that when the issue of the applicant’s asylum is examined, and in the meantime, people are benefiting numerous services, often, at the end, it turns out that their claim has no political ground and they are returned. According to her, now in the European countries, the process has become very strict, the claims are examined as quickly as possible, and they know very well what is going on in given country, whether or not there is a military situation in the applicant’s country, whether or not there is a political persecution against this person or a sexual discrimination, all this is done very quickly and easily. Hence, the possibility that, for example, you attend a protest in Armenia and appear in the footage and take this as a substantiation to go to Europe and tell that you are prosecuted for your political views to get shelter is almost zero. This is also asserted by 36-year-old Samuel, “Nowhere in the world, they believe in fairy tales, or reasoning like before: March 1, homosexuals and I do not know what else.”
In 2011, Samuel had left for Holland, saying that he hoped that all would be fine but the first disappointment, so to speak, was in the refugee camp, again a small room, stinking without elementary conditions. Samuel told that he was lucky for one thing in Holland: his one eye had problems and a very weak eyesight, so he underwent free treatment, but still he is lucky as not everyone could receive this service. “I stayed in the Netherlands for 3.5 years where you are allowed to work 6 months per year but this is individual too and you could not have it either. Then comes thoroughly interviews, moving from one place to another place, being under “control” is a very difficult thing. For example, in a small room with Arabs, and all of a sudden you hear their Islamic prayer, I do not know, not everyone can stand this.”
Living in the Netherlands for a few years, Samvel was rejected to receive asylum and it was decided to send him back home. Samuel fled to Germany, he says that being sent back is one on one, and he wanted to try his luck in Germany. Here too, he was not lucky, together with other migrants, in Samvel’s words, he was taken to a pigsty, “I was the only Christian in these disgusting conditions.” True, later Samvel was given a shelter in a village but there was no prospect here too, again he had to wait with a fear in his heart whether they will make a decision to send him back or not. “They were giving me money to live in this village, and it was sufficient, but the point that you want to speak Armenian, there are no Armenians.”
Eventually, Germany also rejected Samvel, he says that there is a common network, they had his fingerprint and easily identified that he was rejected in the Netherlands, “I have initially told them that I had come there from the Netherlands, and when they decided to deport me from Germany, true, I could flee to another country but I did not want and said, do not deport me to the Netherlands, I will voluntarily go to Armenia”. After this decision, Samuel is informed that there is a program in Armenia for those who return to homeland voluntarily, with the help of which he can be an owner of a small business in Armenia. After returning to Armenia, Targeted Initiative for Armenia” organization provided assistance to Samvel”. The have helped Samvel to write down a business plan and he has opened a center for the sale of fruit and vegetable, which was funded by the project.
The “Armenian Caritas” came to our house, got acquainted with the conditions and bought a TV set and a gas-stove. I do not know what should I do after coming to Armenia, I was not going out the first few months. They facilitated my problems.” To my question of whether he will again go to Europe and bear all these sufferings, Samvel says, “I do not know, no, hardly, I will not go, I’ll do something here, also, I am going to marry. No, I will not go. The program representatives say that this program of supporting returned migrants will be over soon, while there is no such a state program in Armenia, and in fact, a problem will arise that people who are eager to return home, whether they will think about it, or if they come and they will fail to find a job, whether they will not think about leaving again.
Nelly BABAYAN
