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HRANUSH HAKOBYAN:IF 1000 ARMENIANS SET UP BUSINESSES IN ARMENIA
Interview with Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan
Ms. Minister, since its establishment the Ministry of Diaspora was
said to be unnecessary. Does the agency you head justify itself?
Our first goal was to train specialists who would be able to work with
the Diaspora. Now, the Chair of Diaspora at Yerevan State University
trains 12 specialists on Diaspora annually, which is a unique thing.
Chairs of Diaspora were set up at the institutes of history, oriental
studies, language and literature, archeology at the National Academy
of Sciences which have already done a great job. Work is done to
study Western Armenian and create textbooks.
The next task is to handle our centennial property outside the borders
of Armenia, especially in places where the community has disappeared,
such as in Calcutta, Ethiopia, Sudan.
Besides, we are dealing with the problems of our compatriots who
are followers of the Catholic or Evangelist churches. A policy is
proclaimed that a person who feels to be an Armenia is considered an
Armenian. Mixed marriages are a threat, of course, on which we called
a big conference. Two years ago we called our compatriots in mixed
marriages to send their children to Armenia, and about 200 children
participated in the project called Come Back Home.
Over the past 4 years the specialists and we tried to study the
Diaspora, resolve organizational matters. Although it was impossible
to work with 7 million. Over 40 conferences were called in which up
to 10,000 participated. About 5000 families trusted their children to
our ministry who stayed in Armenia during the Come Back Home project.
50-60 children are now studying in Armenian universities.
What has been done for Armenian Syrians who are in a difficult
situation now?
We were ready to host Armenian Syrians. Their first problems were
related to education, health, passports, status, their cars, driving
licenses, and now everything is done for them for free at the level
of legislation. Every day 20-50 Armenians come to the ministry. Their
chief problem is jobs and accommodation. The interagency commission
is doing a hard work and no problem goes unheeded.
Do rich businessmen accommodate Armenian Syrians in their empty
apartments on North Avenue?
31 families accommodated Armenian Syrians in their apartments. The
Center of SMEs organized training, 30-40 Armenian Syrians were pledged
15,000 dollars for setting up their own businesses. Syrian Armenians
are conscientious and hard-working, responsible, we can learn a lot
from them.
Are we ready to make a call for repatriation?
When we declared the project "Come Back Home", my mother asked me:
"What if they come?" Now confidence in the project is growing every
year, so is the number of those who arrive.
Ms. Hakobyan, there is an opinion that in order to have real change
happen the generation must change. Do you agree?
Time shows that the revolutionary path is not effective - Egypt,
Libya, Syria... It is always necessary to combine experience and youth.
There are countries where the ministers change every five months but
stability is not growing.
Let us admit that now we are living better than in the past. But why
are people leaving now? I have found several answers to this question -
in other places they pay more for doing the same work. Besides, those
who left Russia a long time ago are inviting their fellow villagers
and relatives.
The causes of emigration in the 90s are obvious. Repatriates were not
able to put up with the regime, and as soon as the gates were open,
they left, then war started, energy crisis began, the brain drain
organized by the West began. Armenia must get strong with the help of
its citizens and the Diaspora. We often call our compatriots to invest
money in Armenia. If 1000 Armenians open businesses in Armenia, hire
100 people each, 100 thousand people will have jobs, and they will
not want to leave. Besides historical claims, the Armenian Diaspora
must help Armenia to become powerful, now it must help Armenia build
homes for Armenian Syrians.
Repatriation in 1946 ended up in disappointment. Is it now possible
to expect that the new generation will return?
50 years after repatriation I apologized to repatriates who returned
to Armenia and appeared in Stalin's hasher. People are returning, for
example, my deputy Vardan Marashyan. We have a lot of people of the
Classic Diaspora who arrived, set up businesses and are living well.
It is true that the press mostly writes about negative things, and they
have reason for that. However, our main task is to ensure rule of law
and equality of everyone before law. (Translated with abridgements.)
Siranuysh Papyan 17:37 25/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/30549
Interview with Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan
Ms. Minister, since its establishment the Ministry of Diaspora was
said to be unnecessary. Does the agency you head justify itself?
Our first goal was to train specialists who would be able to work with
the Diaspora. Now, the Chair of Diaspora at Yerevan State University
trains 12 specialists on Diaspora annually, which is a unique thing.
Chairs of Diaspora were set up at the institutes of history, oriental
studies, language and literature, archeology at the National Academy
of Sciences which have already done a great job. Work is done to
study Western Armenian and create textbooks.
The next task is to handle our centennial property outside the borders
of Armenia, especially in places where the community has disappeared,
such as in Calcutta, Ethiopia, Sudan.
Besides, we are dealing with the problems of our compatriots who
are followers of the Catholic or Evangelist churches. A policy is
proclaimed that a person who feels to be an Armenia is considered an
Armenian. Mixed marriages are a threat, of course, on which we called
a big conference. Two years ago we called our compatriots in mixed
marriages to send their children to Armenia, and about 200 children
participated in the project called Come Back Home.
Over the past 4 years the specialists and we tried to study the
Diaspora, resolve organizational matters. Although it was impossible
to work with 7 million. Over 40 conferences were called in which up
to 10,000 participated. About 5000 families trusted their children to
our ministry who stayed in Armenia during the Come Back Home project.
50-60 children are now studying in Armenian universities.
What has been done for Armenian Syrians who are in a difficult
situation now?
We were ready to host Armenian Syrians. Their first problems were
related to education, health, passports, status, their cars, driving
licenses, and now everything is done for them for free at the level
of legislation. Every day 20-50 Armenians come to the ministry. Their
chief problem is jobs and accommodation. The interagency commission
is doing a hard work and no problem goes unheeded.
Do rich businessmen accommodate Armenian Syrians in their empty
apartments on North Avenue?
31 families accommodated Armenian Syrians in their apartments. The
Center of SMEs organized training, 30-40 Armenian Syrians were pledged
15,000 dollars for setting up their own businesses. Syrian Armenians
are conscientious and hard-working, responsible, we can learn a lot
from them.
Are we ready to make a call for repatriation?
When we declared the project "Come Back Home", my mother asked me:
"What if they come?" Now confidence in the project is growing every
year, so is the number of those who arrive.
Ms. Hakobyan, there is an opinion that in order to have real change
happen the generation must change. Do you agree?
Time shows that the revolutionary path is not effective - Egypt,
Libya, Syria... It is always necessary to combine experience and youth.
There are countries where the ministers change every five months but
stability is not growing.
Let us admit that now we are living better than in the past. But why
are people leaving now? I have found several answers to this question -
in other places they pay more for doing the same work. Besides, those
who left Russia a long time ago are inviting their fellow villagers
and relatives.
The causes of emigration in the 90s are obvious. Repatriates were not
able to put up with the regime, and as soon as the gates were open,
they left, then war started, energy crisis began, the brain drain
organized by the West began. Armenia must get strong with the help of
its citizens and the Diaspora. We often call our compatriots to invest
money in Armenia. If 1000 Armenians open businesses in Armenia, hire
100 people each, 100 thousand people will have jobs, and they will
not want to leave. Besides historical claims, the Armenian Diaspora
must help Armenia to become powerful, now it must help Armenia build
homes for Armenian Syrians.
Repatriation in 1946 ended up in disappointment. Is it now possible
to expect that the new generation will return?
50 years after repatriation I apologized to repatriates who returned
to Armenia and appeared in Stalin's hasher. People are returning, for
example, my deputy Vardan Marashyan. We have a lot of people of the
Classic Diaspora who arrived, set up businesses and are living well.
It is true that the press mostly writes about negative things, and they
have reason for that. However, our main task is to ensure rule of law
and equality of everyone before law. (Translated with abridgements.)
Siranuysh Papyan 17:37 25/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/30549