Campaign called “We Will Live in Our Country” aims to curb depopulation of Armenia.
YEREVAN (Arka)—Rampant emigration from Armenia is depopulating the country, putting the country’s national security in jeopardy, Armen Rustamian, the head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Parliamentary bloc, said Tuesday at a press conference. The press conference was being held to present the party’s new campaign called “We Will Live in Our Country.”
Rustamian pointed out that the most immediate threat of depopulation is the shortage of conscripts in the Armenian army.
“There are gaps also in other areas,” he said. The program consists of 11 parts, targeting various areas, including economy, politics, and education.
In its program, the ARF proposes to separate business and politics, to pursue a just human resources policy, to make officials’ activities more transparent and accountable, to provide young people with room for putting their ambitions into reality, to create new jobs, to make tax and customs policy more predictable, to spur investments, to carry out a transition from social to industrial agriculture and to increase the quality and availability of education.
Rustamian said the Armenian Revolutionary Federation embarked on this program a few months ago.
“We have held a series of substantial discussions on various professional platforms, and we need to start a new phase now,” he said, adding that discussions will continue and stressing that this campaign is not an ordinary project of the party, but rather the party’s national plan.
The party leader also said that the ARF is willing to cooperate with all parties in implementing this program.
“The authorities should understand that the continuation of this situation means self-destruction, and we hope there are people who understand this among officials,” he said.
Armenia’s population has contracted by 15,000 people since the beginning of this year. Armenian citizens crossed the country’s borders 702,525 times, 298,146 times arriving in it and 404,397 times departing.
It means 106,233 Armenians remained abroad in January to June, 2013, compared to 73,451 in January to June, 2012.
According to June 2013 reports, there were 3,011,900 citizens in the country then, of which 1,904,400 lived in cities and 1,107,500 in rural areas.
They make no mention of the mafia style government and the corruption which everyone is fed up with. Instead they force people into the army. That’s not an incentive. Am I reading this article correctly? What’s wrong with them?
Finally!!!
Are you just waking up?
Too little too late.Where were they all this time?
Oh wow, the Oligarchs finally figured out that if they keep doing what they are doing, will cause people to become more and more jadded and leave…then there will be no one to govern through corruption! Maybe it is time to change or they will loose everything they have.
To solve the problem, I have several times suggested that the Yerevan freely give armenian citizenship to all living in the diaspora who apply for it. This way all problems are resolved. I have suggested my proposal to the Armenian Embassy in Austria. Till now no reply.
Best regards
Dr.Hermon Mihranian
With all due respect, how in the world are “all problems resolved” by granting citizenship to every Armenian in the world? I fail to see your logic there. Besides, your proposal is unnecessary as any diaspora Armenian can obtain citizenship quite readily already, what’s the issue?
The longest trip starts one step at a time (Chinese proverb)
Hermon: How will granting citizenship solve the problem? People are leaving the country for work and opportunity and potential citizens from the Diaspora are reluctant to repatriate to Armenia. How will having 10 Million Armenian citizens outside Armenia help the situation of a depleted Armenia?
Dear Lara,
Diaspora Armenians should have reversed mentality…we should be able to thrown oligarchy barons out of Armenia, with the help of ARF nationalist party… Never is too late!!