On February 24, the RA Ministry of Diaspora, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Armenia, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Armenian General Benevolent Union launched the workshop entitled “From Humanitarian Response to Sustainable Solutions” in the sessions hall of the AGBU Armenian Representation. The workshop is devoted to the problems with facilitating the social integration of Syrian-Armenians displaced and having settled in Armenia as a result of the Syrian war.

Among the participants of the workshop were representatives of government agencies, as well as non-governmental, international and pan-Armenian organizations involved with solving the issues concerning Syrian-Armenians in Armenia.

RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan, RA Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ashot Hovakimyan, Director of the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Razmig Panossian and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Bradley Busetto delivered their welcome speeches.

Greeting the participants of the workshop, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan appreciated the charitable programs aimed at helping solve Syrian-Armenians’ issues, praised the role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Armenia, the ongoing activities of the AGBU, as well as the role and willingness of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and its active efforts aimed at helping Syrian-Armenians.

The minister also attached importance to the support that government agencies, religious organizations, pan-Armenian, charitable and international organizations provide for the solution to the issues facing Syrian-Armenians.

In her speech, Hranush Hakobyan particularly mentioned: “Based on the information provided by The Economist, Armenia is the third country that has received refugees from Syria, after Germany and Sweden. However, whereas there are 4-5 refugees per 1,000 citizens in Germany, in Armenia there are 6-7. Armenia has not received any share of the $5 billion dollars that the European Union and the USA have each provided for support to Syrian refugees. The only organization that helps Armenia is the Office of the UN House in Armenia with its scarce resources. Kuwait, Austria and Russia also help Armenia, and they have also provided humanitarian assistance to Syrian-Armenians.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia has expressed its position on the Syrian-Armenians having moved to Armenia, that is, they can’t be referred to as refugees, though they are de facto refugees. The State is obliged to provide them with necessary assistance by all possible means, and it has taken major steps in that direction. The government has allocated funds from the State Budget to take care of the needs of Syrian-Armenians residing in Syria and in Armenia. In addition, Armenia has adopted laws that help organize the provision of support to Syrian-Armenians in a coordinated manner. Armenia has created an inter-agency authority involved with Syrian-Armenians’ issues. During its monthly sessions, the authority discusses the current issues and offers solutions. Most of our compatriots have found their place in the field of education, culture and service and have introduced a new working culture. Employers often emphasize the high level of discipline and good line of conduct of Syrian-Armenians.”

Touching upon Syrian-Armenians’ difficulties with integration, the Minister of Diaspora set aside several factors. According to Hranush Hakobyan, most of the Syrian-Armenians having arrived in Armenia in the first couple of years of the Syrian conflict had no idea that they would stay in Armenia for a long period of time, and the ongoing war led to the emergence of psychological complications. Even today, the families of most of the Syrian-Armenians having settled in Armenia are split apart. Some of the relatives are still in Syria. In addition, as the minister noted, “due to the ongoing war, the Syrian-Armenians residing in Armenia lose properties almost every day, their homes and workplaces are damaged and destroyed in Syria.” Such repeated psychological blows also complicate the process of integration. The minister also mentioned the differences between Syrian and Armenian legislations as a factor that makes integration complicated, adding that Armenia has published books devoted to the peculiarities of Armenia’s taxing and customs systems and has distributed them to Syrian-Armenians in order to solve that problem.

Hranush Hakobyan also mentioned that even though some Syrian-Armenians leave Armenia and settle in third countries, primarily Sweden and other countries across Europe, as well as Canada, there are also Syrian-Armenians moving to Armenia. Many Syrian-Armenians face linguistic and financial issues when they move to other countries and don’t even adapt to the climate, as is the case of Syrian-Armenians having left for Canada. In addition, it’s not always that they receive social security guarantees. That is why, according to the minister, there are already people returning to Armenia.

“It is clear that most Syrian-Armenians have integrated and are working in Armenia, but there are some complications, especially in regard to housing and employment. We are trying to combine the efforts of not only international organizations, but also pan-Armenian benevolent organizations. Despite the standards for the solution to several issues, it is our duty to show an individual approach to each Syrian-Armenian. It is a very difficult task, but they are our compatriots, and it is our duty to solve their problems with pleasure,” the Minister of Diaspora emphasized, adding that Armenia is not capable of solving all the problems on its own and needs support from international organizations.

Talking about cooperation and partnership, she noted that the Ministry of Diaspora has been collaborating with Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Christoph Bierwirth from the first days of the Syrian war and considers Bierwirth its best partner.

“The time has come for us to combine all of our efforts, start stabilizing the situation and ensure all the conditions for our compatriots,” Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan mentioned in his speech.

Greeting the participants of the workshop, Director of the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Razmig Panossian said the Foundation would be persistent with the solutions to the major and most pressing issues and the implementation of programs for support to the integration of Syrian-Armenians in Armenia.

RA Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ashot Hovakimyan voiced hope that the workshop would help identify the more effective steps towards Syrian-Armenians’ integration and touched upon another approach to regulating that process, that is, the inadequate attention of the international community and the need for cooperation.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Bradley Busetto expressed gratitude to the event organizers and attached importance to the integration of Syrian-Armenians, particularly the efforts aimed at solving their problems with housing and employment.

The workshop continued with four panel sessions during which representatives of government agencies, non-governmental, international and pan-Armenian organizations involved with the issues of Syrian-Armenians continued to discuss issues related to the integration of Syrian-Armenians and their educational, social and psychological support were discussed more objectively.

Summing up the results, the Minister of Diaspora expressed gratitude to the working groups for their interesting ideas, proposals and questions. “We need to be able to sort and assess all these ideas, create a database and consistently turn those ideas into a reality. It would be right for us to develop a strategic program, be involved in gathering resources to solve the indicated problems, specify the paths for solutions and coordinate the expected proposals.