2,5 million Armenians live in Russia. There are more than 400 Armenian educational institutions in Russia. Despite the fact that the Armenian structures of Russia are making efforts to gather Armenians, to maintain the Armenian language among them, there are still many difficulties. Tamara Tovmasyan – Specialist of the Department of Armenian studies and social cultural subjects of the National Institute of Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, told a press conference in “Armenpress” that there are Armenians in Russia who seem to have left the Armenian structures. “Many of them have found their places in that country, they have a job, home and do not see a necessity to gather across the Armenian structures, maintain the Armenian language. Here there is a problem”, she said.

Professor of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after K. Abovyan Julietta Gyulamiryan said Russia provides the Armenian community all conditions to have a school, to maintain the language, however, the reality is that many Armenians keep them away from these processes. She presented the example she met in Sochi. “Sochi city authorities decided to open Armenian teachers training college. We have developed a plan for two months, textbooks were identified. The Sochi authorities provided a building for it, we have furnished it. Admission was announced, however no application was received. That building remained so, later it became a Russian school”, Julietta Gyulamiryan said. In order to preserve the Armenian language in Russia, it is necessary to carry out serious works with the Armenian families, Head of the Department of the Pan-Armenian Programs of the Diaspora Ministry Gagik Gyanjumyan said.

He has just returned from Russia. He took part in a conference in Krasnodar dedicated to the language preservation issues. “Issues were raised at the two-day conference. All were agreed that in order to solve the language preservation issue, it is necessary to enter the family. Everything must be done so that Armenian families speak Armenian more, think in Armenian. There was a talk on the provided literature. The Diaspora Ministry every year conducts the delivery program of methodological literature, a vast amount of literature is also sent to the Armenian educational institutions of Russia. There were proposals over new methodological manuals”, Gagik Gyanjumyan said stating that as a result of such discussions the literature is being updated every year.

Of course, there is an assimilation issue in Russia, however, the Armenian community is provided with all conditions to preserve the Armenian language. Compared to Russia, there are countries where problems are created by the state.