On April 28, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “With the Support of the Diaspora”. Among the attendees were RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, Deputy Minister Serzh Srapionyan, the heads of departments of the Ministry according to regions, as well as well-known Diaspora Armenian benefactors, businessmen and investors.

Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan gave a welcoming speech in which she said the following: “The goal of this roundtable discussion is to listen to your stories about the successes that you have achieved in the Homeland, know about your problems and find answers and solutions to the questions and problems that will be discussed during this meeting. We are ready to do everything possible to make sure your opinions and suggestions are moved to the practical field and enhanced.”

RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan added that the Government of the Republic of Armenia was developing and implementing numerous programs aimed at ensuring the development, stabilization and advancement of Armenian economy. “The government is also highly focused on the presence of Diaspora Armenian investors in Armenian economy, but there is a flaw. The fact of the matter is that there are quite a lot of Diaspora Armenian investors in Armenia who have achieved heights and are making their contributions to the improvement of the economy, and we need to make them popular since they not only set a good example, but also foster the strengthening and development of the relations between Armenia and the Diaspora,” the Deputy Minister said, noting that it is impossible to make those wishes come true without talking about the problems and understanding the essence of those problems and that the goal of this discussion is to identify those problems and seek realistic solutions.

The Deputy Minister’s speech was followed by speeches by the attendees: President of RepatArmenia Foundation Vardan Marashlyan said the following: “We have already been in this field for a year, and I can talk about our achievements for a long time. In regard to the problems, I would like to set aside a few of them. The first is the need for a law on repatriation, which is currently being drafted. The law on repatriation will define a special status for repatriates and specify their privileges, obligations and responsibilities. Repatriation is an item on the agenda of the Ministry of Diaspora, and it is also an imperative today.” Vardan Marashlyan noted that the private projects in Armenia that are also very often created by repatriates need to be recognized and that this must be done on information platforms.

“We realize very well how important the Armenia-Diaspora-Artsakh triumvirate is. Armenia plays a decisive role in that triumvirate and it must be strong and powerful. The Armenian Diaspora and Diaspora Armenians’ support to the Homeland play a major role in Armenia’s empowerment. The market and economy in Armenia are favorable for Diaspora Armenians to carry out their business plans, and every successful program is a contribution to Armenia,” Vice-President of the Union of Armenians of Russia Vladimir Aghayan stated.

Representative of the Armenian community of Yaroslavl Zakar Khojabaghyan noted that the repatriates doing business in Armenia must not only be guided by their business interests, but also be aware of the fact that they need to support Armenia. “The Armenian community of Yaroslavl is to create and expand engineering laboratories in Armenia and abroad before the year 2019. Young Armenians of the Diaspora must be aware of the advancement of the latest technologies in Armenia and the current opportunities, and Armenia is truly a leader in that regard. Many programs will be in Armenian so that young Diaspora Armenians show interest in learning Armenian. This will help the Armenian language become a working language for them and open new perspectives,” Zakar Khojabaghyan said.

Among other speakers were Honorary President of “Pyunik” Pan-Armenian Human Resources Development Foundation Gabriel Jemberjian, Director of 1 Armenia Organization Anahit Galstyan, Director of the Office of the Armenian Missionary Association of America in Armenia Harutyun Nersisyan and others.