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ENVOY DEFENDS RUSSIAN MIGRATION SCHEME
Satenik Vantsian
Armenialiberty.org
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24315201.html
Sept 1 2011
The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, dismissed
on Thursday a public outcry against a government program encouraging
and helping Armenians to migrate to Russia.
"Who is forcing Armenians to leave this country against their will?"
he said during a visit to Gyumri. "Why are they leaving their country?
If they live well in their country, why would they go elsewhere?"
"People go [to Russian] at their own initiative," Kovalenko told
journalists.
The diplomat referred to the Russian government's Compatriots program
that offers employment, accommodation and financial benefits to married
residents of former Soviet republics willing to settle in Russia. It
is designed to address the country's serious demographic problems.
Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) began operating the program
in Armenia in 2009 and has reportedly attracted hundreds of Armenian
families since then. The program has sparking an uproar from local
opposition politicians, public figures and media worried about the
continuing outflow of people from the country.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said in July that his government
shares their concerns. He revealed that it has told Moscow to halt
the scheme's implementation in Armenia.
The opposition youth movement Hima (Now) dismissed these assurances,
saying that the government should simply order the FMS to close its
offices in Yerevan and several Armenian regions.
"There are people who want to accumulate political capital," said
Kovalenko. "They are wrong to do that. Everything will be fine."
Kovalenko claimed that most of the Armenian migrants work in Russian
to support their relatives in Armenia and will eventually return home.
Satenik Vantsian
Armenialiberty.org
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24315201.html
Sept 1 2011
The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, dismissed
on Thursday a public outcry against a government program encouraging
and helping Armenians to migrate to Russia.
"Who is forcing Armenians to leave this country against their will?"
he said during a visit to Gyumri. "Why are they leaving their country?
If they live well in their country, why would they go elsewhere?"
"People go [to Russian] at their own initiative," Kovalenko told
journalists.
The diplomat referred to the Russian government's Compatriots program
that offers employment, accommodation and financial benefits to married
residents of former Soviet republics willing to settle in Russia. It
is designed to address the country's serious demographic problems.
Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) began operating the program
in Armenia in 2009 and has reportedly attracted hundreds of Armenian
families since then. The program has sparking an uproar from local
opposition politicians, public figures and media worried about the
continuing outflow of people from the country.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said in July that his government
shares their concerns. He revealed that it has told Moscow to halt
the scheme's implementation in Armenia.
The opposition youth movement Hima (Now) dismissed these assurances,
saying that the government should simply order the FMS to close its
offices in Yerevan and several Armenian regions.
"There are people who want to accumulate political capital," said
Kovalenko. "They are wrong to do that. Everything will be fine."
Kovalenko claimed that most of the Armenian migrants work in Russian
to support their relatives in Armenia and will eventually return home.