Today, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited the Office of the High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs to get acquainted with the performance report 2022 of the department.
Deputy Prime Ministers Mher Grigoryan and Tigran Khachatryan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Finance Vahan Sirunyan, High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, the leading staff of the Office, other officials participated in the consultation.
It was reported that in 2022 the Office of the High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs carried out work in 4 directions: promotion of repatriation and integration, development of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation, formation of a joint Armenia-Diaspora agenda and raising the potential of Diaspora communities.
It was noted that in 2022 the number of applications for repatriation has increased. 8,000 applications were submitted, an Armenian language course was organized for the first time, with the number of participants reaching 240. Integration support packages were provided to Diaspora Armenian families. The establishment of the Repatriation and Integration Center is in progress, the opening of which is planned in spring 2023.
The Global Armenian Summit was held for the first time in 2022 with 600 participants from 45 countries. The programs "iGorts", "Step Towards Home", "Young Ambassador of the Diaspora" are being successfully implemented. The studies of Diaspora potential and Diaspora Armenian communities continue. Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral cooperation memorandum was signed, within the framework of which it is planned to exchange experience, implement joint educational and cultural and youth events, etc.
The draft law of the Republic of Armenia on Repatriation was developed, and the strategy for the development of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation for 2023-2033 was also developed. The mentioned documents will be submitted to the Government for discussion in the coming months. Among a number of programs, the introduction of the Institute of Commissioners of Diaspora Affairs in the communities, the formation of the Diaspora Armenian Council, the promotion of economic activity, and the coordination of charity programs are in progress. A number of new initiatives are planned for 2023.
It was noted that the Office carries out continuous public awareness raising campaign about its programs, being represented on all social platforms.
Exchange of ideas regarding the report took place.
The Prime Minister emphasized the programs promoting repatriation and instructed to start work on the development of the concept of repatriation. In the context of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation, the Head of the Government attached importance to the Institute of Commissioners of Diaspora Affairs in the communities, the introduction of which will promote the revision of relations. "The format of the Global Armenian Summit is also a good platform for the transformation of relations with the Diaspora, and it should be developed," Nikol Pashinyan noted. The Prime Minister also drew the attention of the officials to the process of coordination of charitable initiatives of the Diaspora and instructed them to be consistent in this issue.
