IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO COMBAT MIGRATION: WE CAN COMBAT THE REASONS CAUSING MIGRATION
ARKA News Agency – Interview
Sept 6 2004
Gagik Yeghanyan’s An Exclusive Interview of the Head of the
Department of Migration and Refugees adjunct to the RA Government to
ARKA News Agency.
ARKA – For the last two years the structure of migration processes
changed in Armenia. If before the migration balance was negative,
then now this indicator equals to zero. So, how is the situation at
present?
G. Yeghanyan – In June 2004 we recorded a positive migration balance:
the number of people who returned to Armenia exceed by 11400 people
the number of those leaving the country. At the same time, according
to the data for the first half a year of 2004, the migration balance
is negative in Armenia. However, those leaving the country cannot be
defined as emigrants, and those coming to Armenia– as immigrants. All
of them are passengers crossing the border. Serious studies are
necessary to find out the reasons these people return to the republic
or leave it. The data of our department– is a nice raw material, on
the base of which one can draw a conclusion that if, for example, the
number of people leaving the republic keeps growing, then dominating
emigration –like disposition is observed. In order to see the
regularity in migration processes, one should follow them during
quite a long period. At that, migration has some sluggishness: even
if today the reasons for migration disappear, the process of
migration will not stop at once.
ARKA – What do fluctuations in migration balance depend on?
G. Yeghanyan – Migration in Armenia is of seasonal character. Thus,
during the first months of spring the number of people leaving
Armenia grows, as people usually leave in the quest of seasonal jobs.
In June almost always our department records positive balance: the
reason is that in connection with the summer holidays most people
want their children to spend holidays in their motherland. In autumn,
on the contrary, the negative balance grows, since those who came to
spend their holidays in Armenia go back. In the end of autumn again
positive balance is recorded: seasonal workers come back from abroad.
By New Year the number of people coming to Armenia exceeds those
leaving it, as most people want to spend their favorite festival with
their families.
In 2000 the negative migration balance amounted to about 60 thsd
people in the country. This figure didn’t change in 2001. The studies
show that from 1992 to 2001 a definite negative balance was recorded
in Armenia. At that, in 1992-1994 mass migration amounted to about
150 thsd people yearly. For the last three years the migration
balance is almost zero. Thus, we can assume that in 2002-2003 the
factors causing such migration significantly reduced. One of the main
factors causing migration in Armenia, is the lack of work, according
to a sociological survey: the lack of work as such, the lack of
specialized work or work paid well, and difficulties connected with
entrepreneurship. Classically it’s called economic migration and not
emigration. The geography of migration from Armenia changes – these
are CIS, while 90% of people leave for Russia. There is a simple
explanation of it: Armenia has no visa regime with Russia, there are
no obstacles connected with the language, and there are trade
relations.
I want to emphasize, that it’s impossible to combat migration. It’s a
natural process. We can combat only the reasons causing migration.
The so-called ethnic factor also matters. For example, the life
standard of an Armenian farmer in Ararat valley is much better than
that of a farmer in steppe regions of Russia. However, it will never
occur to people living in the regions of Russia to leave their
country. Unfortunately, the affection of Armenians towards their land
is weak.
ARKA – How many citizens have applied for being provided with a
shelter in Armenia?
G. Yeghanyan –This number grows annually. This year, for example this
number doubled. During the first half a year the number of people
looking for a shelter in Armenia made over 100 people, whereas during
the whole year of 2003 their number made 110 people. This year the
number of people willing to find shelter in Armenia grew, mainly,
because of the events in Iraq, where many Iraqi people of Armenian
origin came to Armenia from. Besides Iraq, a small number of refugees
came from Iran and Afghanistan.
It’s already two years that Armenia has made it possible through the
legislation to provide shelter to citizens who were forced to leave
their countries because of war. Such people have the status of “a
person under temporary protection”.
ARKA – How many refugees from Azerbaijan live in Armenia at present?
G. Yeghanyan – Unfortunately, we have old data: as of 1997 about 300
thsd refugees lived in Armenia. We do our best to have more precise
data about it.
ARKA – Have many Azerbaijani refugees have become the citizens of
Armenia?
G. Yeghanyan – The speed of becoming citizens of Armenia has reduced
a little. At present, about 66 thsd. refugees from Azerbaijan living
in Armenia became citizens of RA. Submission of applications for
becoming citizens of Armenia is not just handing in the old passport,
but also the result of a refugee-society relations. From this
standpoint the expectations of refugees were very high in the light
of the lack of adequate understanding on the part of the society. For
the last two –three years, for example, the cases of driving refugees
out of hostels are not rare. Yet, there is some progress: if only 5
thd refugees wanted to become citizens of Armenia till 2000, then for
the last 4 years their number amounted to 61-62 thsd. At that, 11
thsd refugees still have no housing. However, there is progress here
as well: already in May 2004 the Government of the republic approved
a program worth $20 mln., according to which it obliged to provide
apartments to 3470 families of refugees within 2-3 years. This is an
unexampled action on the part of the Government, especially taking
into consideration the financial problems of the republic.
ARKA – How is the situation with the illegal migration? What does
your Department do in regard with the frightening scale of this
phenomenon?
G. Yeghanyan – The number of illegal migrants is, of course,
approximate. I can firmly say that about 100 thsd. illegally
emigrated Armenians live in Russia. In that country, where there is a
system of special privileges for foreigners, the majority of
Armenians who have immigrated to that country yet are not in line
with immigration laws. The majority of them are refugees from
Azerbaijan, who still have Soviet passports and are actually beyond
the protection of the law.
The Department for Migration and Refugees combats illegal migration
actively. We do it by means of increasing the awareness among
citizens of what problems they can come across in other countries, if
they stay there illegally. We have a hot telephone line and shoot
cognitive films. Besides, at the expense of the Danish Council, our
Department publishes a reference book for those returning to Armenia.
The reference book introduces the social-economic and other
conditions in Armenia in a plain way easy to understand.
ARKA – How will the adoption of law on dual citizenship influence the
speed of migration?
G. Yeghanyan – First of all let’s ask ourselves such a question:
which are our goals we want to achieve by adopting the law on dual
citizenship? Lets’ leave apart the economic aspect, i.e. do we
experience a moral satisfaction with the fact that we have in our
pockets two passports, one of which is Armenian? It’s expected that
the law on dual citizenship will contribute to returning the
Armenians of Diaspora to Armenia. However, I object and state that
it’s enough to adopt a corresponding law simplifying the visa regime
for ethnic Armenians. The goal to stimulate investments by Armenians
abroad also not to be discussed in the context of dual citizenship,
as it’s directly connected with the regulation of the legal field, in
particular, granting Armenians from Diaspora many privileges.
Dual citizenship is an anomaly: as a rule, it make complex the rights
and commitments of citizen to states. Though, the international
experience shows that these issues are settled; but there is also the
international convention standing for the reduction of cases with
dual citizenship. With regard to Armenia, the dual citizenship may
imply obstacles and danger. For example, what will Armenians living
in some other country do being citizens of RA if that country wages
war against Armenia? I do not want my words be definitely against
granting dual citizenship, I just want to say that this process is
very complex. A.H.–0–