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ARMENIA HAS LOST 1 MILLION OF ITS CITIZENS TO EMIGRATION: WIKILEAKS
epress.am
09.08.2011 20:40
For those Armenians who have long considered emigrating abroad
to pursue a brighter economic future, the current political crisis
appears to have finally moved some to action, writes former US Charges
d'Affaires in Yerevan Joseph Pennington (pictured) in a May 2, 2008
cable recently released by WikiLeaks.
"Besides the twenty or so asylum seekers who approached the Embassy
after the fatal Mar. 1 clashes and state of emergency, an increasing
number of intending immigrants from Armenia's middle class have also
come to our attention... These successful, middle class citizens tell
us that the crisis has played a consequential role in spurring them
to finally emigrate, saying it has dashed any remaining hopes they
had for a stable, post-independence Armenia. Many say the political
instability from the crisis has added yet one more disturbing element
to their long list of concerns that include economic uncertainties and
a worsening environment in which to raise their kids. Some also say
they see an ongoing moral decay in society, where rich, well-connected,
law-breaking elites run roughshod over ordinary Armenians' rights,"
writes Pennington in the cable summary.
The US diplomat cites several examples of men with successful,
well-paying jobs and their families who "stuck it out" through
independence, but have now lost hope and are pondering emigration. The
reasons these men gave were economic and political uncertainties,
and in one instance, a belief that the moral decay of Armenian society
had accelerated and a better future for their children abroad.
Pennington also notes that the US embassy has been contacted by
prominent members of the opposition seeking asylum - most notably,
Levon Ter-Petrossian's nephew, Tigran Ter-Petrossian, who LTP's
confidants said was hiding out in the United Arab Emirates:
"LTP's confidants have asked the Embassy to help with a tourist visa,
and insist that Tigran has no intention of applying for political
asylum once in the United States. (NOTE: We've explained to LTP's
representatives that since we cannot establish the bona fides of
Tigran's case, we cannot intervene to issue a visa, and that he would
have to apply at our consulate general in Dubai like everyone else.)
LTP's son David went to Los Angeles before the election at the urging
of his father, again presumably out of concern for his son's life. To
our knowledge he has yet to return."
"Emigration from Armenia is nothing new. It has been estimated that
since its independence from the USSR, Armenia has lost 1,000,000
of its citizens to emigration - almost one third of its 3.5 million
pre-independence population. What appears to be a new development,
however, is the hemorrhaging of successful middle-class citizens
who decided to stick out post-independence growing pains only to see
that their wait has been for naught. The loss of these individuals is
significant: they would stay if they thought the country was headed in
the right direction. But their decision to pull up their tent stakes
now, after one of modern Armenia's gravest political crises to date,
suggests that a serious malaise has taken deep root in society.
Disillusioned, the once-committed appear to have lost faith that
their government cares about improving their welfare or moving the
country forward," Pennington notes in his concluding comments.
epress.am
09.08.2011 20:40
For those Armenians who have long considered emigrating abroad
to pursue a brighter economic future, the current political crisis
appears to have finally moved some to action, writes former US Charges
d'Affaires in Yerevan Joseph Pennington (pictured) in a May 2, 2008
cable recently released by WikiLeaks.
"Besides the twenty or so asylum seekers who approached the Embassy
after the fatal Mar. 1 clashes and state of emergency, an increasing
number of intending immigrants from Armenia's middle class have also
come to our attention... These successful, middle class citizens tell
us that the crisis has played a consequential role in spurring them
to finally emigrate, saying it has dashed any remaining hopes they
had for a stable, post-independence Armenia. Many say the political
instability from the crisis has added yet one more disturbing element
to their long list of concerns that include economic uncertainties and
a worsening environment in which to raise their kids. Some also say
they see an ongoing moral decay in society, where rich, well-connected,
law-breaking elites run roughshod over ordinary Armenians' rights,"
writes Pennington in the cable summary.
The US diplomat cites several examples of men with successful,
well-paying jobs and their families who "stuck it out" through
independence, but have now lost hope and are pondering emigration. The
reasons these men gave were economic and political uncertainties,
and in one instance, a belief that the moral decay of Armenian society
had accelerated and a better future for their children abroad.
Pennington also notes that the US embassy has been contacted by
prominent members of the opposition seeking asylum - most notably,
Levon Ter-Petrossian's nephew, Tigran Ter-Petrossian, who LTP's
confidants said was hiding out in the United Arab Emirates:
"LTP's confidants have asked the Embassy to help with a tourist visa,
and insist that Tigran has no intention of applying for political
asylum once in the United States. (NOTE: We've explained to LTP's
representatives that since we cannot establish the bona fides of
Tigran's case, we cannot intervene to issue a visa, and that he would
have to apply at our consulate general in Dubai like everyone else.)
LTP's son David went to Los Angeles before the election at the urging
of his father, again presumably out of concern for his son's life. To
our knowledge he has yet to return."
"Emigration from Armenia is nothing new. It has been estimated that
since its independence from the USSR, Armenia has lost 1,000,000
of its citizens to emigration - almost one third of its 3.5 million
pre-independence population. What appears to be a new development,
however, is the hemorrhaging of successful middle-class citizens
who decided to stick out post-independence growing pains only to see
that their wait has been for naught. The loss of these individuals is
significant: they would stay if they thought the country was headed in
the right direction. But their decision to pull up their tent stakes
now, after one of modern Armenia's gravest political crises to date,
suggests that a serious malaise has taken deep root in society.
Disillusioned, the once-committed appear to have lost faith that
their government cares about improving their welfare or moving the
country forward," Pennington notes in his concluding comments.