Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan attended the opening ceremony of the first Repatriation and Integration Center under the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs in Yerevan. The President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, ministers, High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan and other officials were also present at the event.
In his speech, the Prime Minister noted that there are many issues that people face when moving from one country to another. “And we noted in the discussions that if a high-ranking official can have such problems during his repatriation, having connections and having access up to the Prime Minister, President, Ministers of the Republic, then what can happen to many other people who have no such connections?
And it should be noted that this is something related to our approaches in the process of making decisions and implementing them, because even today in the Cabinet meeting we are discussing that we should not only announce our positions, but also consider them from the opposite side. And what problems do they cause in practice?
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The word repatriation is a precious, important and strategic phrase for all of us, but when we announce it at the political level, we don’t record that the political message, yes, can arouse enthusiasm and desire in many people, but after encountering just one incident caused by poor management or legal process, one’s excitement can be reduced to zero, it can turn back and bring forth a deep feeling of regret as to why I stepped on this path,” said the Prime Minister, adding that as a result of those discussions, the need for such an institution was realized, which would support all those people who will make the very important decision of repatriation.
“But we also noted that in order for this decision to be as effective as possible, it should not be a standard, classic state body, but it should be a place that will have formal opportunities, informal opportunities, and it will be in constant communication with people, with civil society, who have dealt with the issue even before the state administration bodies did it, and know all the nuances.
Mr. Sinanyan already mentioned that the purpose of this office and institute is to accompany a person from the stage of forming an intention. Moreover, this is also another practical political message that repatriation is desirable. The government wants to see more and more people returning to the Republic of Armenia. It has already been mentioned that there are certain trends due to objective and subjective circumstances, and our task is to provide such services to our potential repatriates along with these trends, the talks about which will encourage others to take a step towards repatriation, to the Republic of Armenia,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister thanked all the partners who made this project possible. “I want to congratulate everyone on this important occasion. With such steps, we should strengthen the trust of our citizens, the people, in the future of the Republic of Armenia, with the message that no one will deliver that future to us on a platter. It is a task that we all have to do together, each in our place: the government in its place, the opposition in its place, civil society in its place, the public of Armenia in its place, the public sector workers in their place, with one goal in the core, which is the Republic of Armenia, is the free, powerful and happy Armenian statehood.
I hope that today’s event will give many of our compatriots the opportunity to create that happiness, that freedom, to develop that power and to push others and communicate with all that,” said the Prime Minister.
In terms of efficiently organizing the process of integration of repatriates, the Repatriation and Integration Center under the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs will be the first of its kind in the Republic of Armenia and will act as a single resource center for repatriates. The opening of the center was possible thanks to the effective cooperation between the Armenian government and the “Hovnanian Family Foundation”.
The Repatriation and Integration Center will provide advisory and practical support to repatriates in various directions, including at the pre-repatriation stage, when an individual or family has expressed a desire to repatriate. The employee of the center will prepare and accompany the repatriate during the entire process, introducing him and familiarizing him with legal processes in the Homeland, educational, health, customs, employment, business activities and other issues, closely cooperating with colleagues.
The center offers free Armenian language courses, free integration and awareness seminars, various online and offline events, information provision and establishment of contacts with potential employers, etc.
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
