From August 9-11, an Armenian delegation was sent to Lebanon to distribute humanitarian aid and to evaluate the situation. The High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs, Zareh Sinanyan, presented the details of this visit during a press conference. He said that the aid was sent in 3 airplanes. It consisted of medication, food, and health equipment. The first and third airplanes were meant for the Lebanese government and people overall, and the second airplane was designated for the Lebanese-Armenian community.
Sinanyan said that the delegation met with spiritual leaders, politicians, and representatives of the culture sector in Lebanon. They heard very differing opinions. The spiritual community said that the Lebanese-Armenians were firmly standing their ground and they did not want to go anywhere. But when they met with residents, they got another impression; the residents were scared and they wanted to come to Armenia. “The issue is very difficult. There are people who want to come, but they can’t do it financially. There are issues with the banks that prevent them from getting their money. They cannot sell their apartments, homes, or businesses.”
Zareh Sinanyan was asked about what will happen if Lebanese-Armenians decide to return to Armenia and what policies will be implemented to the fact that experience shows the government’s activities were very flawed regarding policies for refugees from Azerbaijan and Syrian-Armenians. For many years, the issues of employment and shelter were not being resolved, which caused people to move to other countries. Sinanyan said, “To say that the government has implemented policies for Lebanese-Armenians to repatriate is not entirely accurate. When we implement repatriation policies, it means that we are the ones who dictate and we are the ones who create the conditions for people to want to return. Here, we are simply in the position of the viewers. Over time, circumstances have arisen against our will that caused what we have today: a long-term economic crisis. It has been over a year since the banking system effectively collapsed, and several countries are competing for their own interests in Lebanon: the East, the West, the USA, Iran, and it seems like everyone’s interests clash. On top of this, there was the coronavirus pandemic, which caused even more economic difficulties, and then there was the explosion, which seemed to be the final attack on the Lebanese people and Lebanese-Armenians.”
Zareh Sinanyan also presented the results of a survey, which showed 58 percent of Lebanese-Armenians said that they would leave Lebanon. Forty-nine percent said that they are thinking about coming to Armenia. This survey took place before the explosion and pandemic. Sinanyan said that the Armenian government was not prepared for the repatriation of Syrian-Armenians, which caused Armenia to serve as a transit point to other countries. Now, the Armenian government is preparing a package that will enable it to welcome Lebanese-Armenians normally so they can become Armenian citizens and taxpayers.
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370 people came to Armenia to live from 5 flights. Sinanyan assured that the government was prepared so that the people who came would have little reason to leave Armenia and go elsewhere.
Hripsime Jebejyan
