“In the past, there have been people who were either rejected or given preferential treatment by the ministry or by the government, but such a thing will not take place in our new government,” Minister of Diaspora Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said in a meeting with reporters. The minister promised that the Ministry of Diaspora has made it a priority to work with everyone and to create possibilities for everyone who is prepared to work for the advancement and security of Armenia and Artsakh, for the strengthening of Armenian organizations in the diaspora, for strengthening ties between Armenia and the diaspora, and for utilizing the diaspora’s potential. The minister promised that these ideas are well received by members of the diaspora in the USA.
Regarding the question of whether there are other statistics to show an increase in repatriation other than Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement that the price of real estate in the Republic of Armenia has increased by 20 percent, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said, “The prime minister also released the difference in number between the amount of people coming to Armenia and the amount of people leaving, which was about 26 thousand. At the moment, we don’t have any information which proves that all of these people are repatriates. But I can say that over 100 families in the USA told me that they’re selling their homes so that they can return to the homeland. About 15 families in the Doha airport on the flight to Armenia were repatriates. People approached me and showed me their belongings, saying that they’re coming back to the homeland. At the moment, there are a hundred, a thousand times more people who have the desire to move back to Armenia, but only after we solve a few problems can we expect them to come back.”
Tatev Harutyunyan
