Are migrants returning to Armenia?
"I lived in Saint Petersburg for seven years. Tow years ago I resettled in Armenia but I intend to return to Petersburg," says 53-year-old Suren Sargsyan and adds that migrants' rights are violated at every step.
"Once you have a migration card you feel secure aboard otherwise you are considered a Gastarbeiter," the former migrant said noting migrants obtain false documents since the migration card costs huge sums and great efforts.
On July 19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Armenia organized a roundtable on the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Paola Pace, Research Officer at International Migration Law Department at International Organization for Migration Headquarters, said all migrants exercise the same rights as locals with the exception of political rights.
"The discussion aims at informing citizens about their rights envisaged by the Convention," she said and quoted an extract. "The Convention considers situation of vulnerability in which migrant workers and members of their families frequently find themselves and encourages the states to promote lawful equitable and humane conditions for migrants, and provide protection migrants' rights."
Ambassador Vahram Kazhoyan, Head of RA Foreign Ministry International Organizations Department, noted that he observed positive tendency among our compatriots to return to Armenia.
Gagik Yeganyan, Head of RA State Migration Service, noted that there are more than 200 million migrants in the world.
"Overall, there are more than 800 000 Armenian migrants. 600 000 of them left Armenia with their families," he said.
