The minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan had earlier noted that when organizing immigration to Armenia, immigrant’s wish would be the first condition, but there was no such case. And even said in the context of Syrian-Armenians, the notion may still embrace any other Diaspora- Armenian. One can easily conclude that if there is no wish to emigrate from a country involved in a civil war and other life-threatening conditions, what can be the picture in other countries with no such problems for Armenians.
The wish to live in Armenia is a definite must to organize immigration. Sure is the need for immigration itself as a strategic importance for the country taken into account the demographics here. However, state thinking and management come to be wrong, as evidenced by Hranush Hakobyan’s words.
Immigration is not the technical issue of providing airplanes, but the issue of the wish among those potential emigrants and the question of absence of that wish to emigrate from bloody and dangerous Syria to live in Armenia. Organizing the immigration should start from answering this question.
Some might think Syrian-Armenians do not leave Syria because of the wealth that they cannot take with them; still considering this a reason for not emigrating is a clear delusion. The problem is sure with Armenia itself, with the norms and values of Armenian state and society. With all the free information in our days it is nowhere a secret the basis Armenian state and society hinge upon, the values and rules of coexistence that are applied. It is not a secret also because many of Diaspora Armenians do not rely on official news solely but as well, from time to time, visit Armenia, or their friends visit Armenia not only to see the beauty of the land, but to find jobs. What they face in such cases is no secret for us, though.
How large is the number of Diaspora businessmen to leave Armenia because of being cheated, offended and their rights violated? How many are those who faced here corruption, state protectionism, and racketeering? How many from the Diaspora had personal encounters with Armenia’s bureaucracy, state officials, felt their greed, their huge appetite for business, their appetite to gormandize?
How many those are in the Diaspora who believe what they or their friends saw here instead of believing the official news and propaganda. Number of this people is uncountable, their access to information free and their knowledge of Armenia rather precise. Even serious political personalities from the Diaspora point to all these problems mentioned above in their private talks. Which Armenian will agree to exchange his/her life with a new start here? Thus organizing immigration should not start with repairing the airplanes to find out that no one takes them, but with serious fundamental changes here, inside the country. It should start with deep systematic changes, instituting here the rule of law, transforming Armenia to a country whose citizens are free, protected by the law and not by various state authorities or criminal-oligarchic groupings who take most of the income from them.
Thus the state of law, rights, freedom, equality and justice is the sole factor to attract any citizen, our compatriots included. Thus immigration starts with fundamental changes, which is limited to words only in the case of Armenia: while Armenia is in desperate need of immigration for its demographics, its values and norms. Armenia needs new streams of air, a new charge that our compatriots can bring with them, if Armenia provides the conditions.
