The Armenian government is preparing a package to be able to properly receive those coming from Lebanon to Armenia. This was announced today during a press conference by the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Zareh Sinyan.
“We must be able to properly receive those who wish to come to Armenia, live here, become full members of society, citizens, taxpayers, soldiers, and try together to build the Homeland we dream of,” said Sinyan.
Referring to the question of whether Armenia is implementing a repatriation policy towards Lebanese-Armenians, Sinyan does not consider such a framing of the issue to be entirely correct. He noted that in the case of a repatriation policy, the state has the role of a promoter. That is, it creates the situation as a result of which people want to return to the Homeland.
“In this case, in reality, we are in the role of observers. Over time, circumstances have been created independently of our will, which have led to this situation. Lebanon’s economic crisis, the shattered state of the banking system. There is a clash of interests of different countries there. There is serious fear among people that they may have phenomena reminiscent of the Syrian civil war. Let us add the problems caused by ‘Corona’. The explosion was the last blow. As a result, we have what we have,” he said.
The High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs noted that the inclination to leave Lebanon has existed since 2019. In particular, he presented the data of a survey conducted at the end of 2019. 521 Lebanese-Armenians participated in the survey, 58 percent of whom stated that they would leave Lebanon in the near future. A significant portion also said they were thinking about coming to Armenia.
“We as a state bear responsibility for our citizens. According to embassy data, there are 25,000 citizens of the Republic of Armenia in Lebanon, and we have a responsibility towards our compatriots,” added the High Commissioner.
