ARMENIA TO APPLY CIRCULAR MIGRATION PRINCIPLE
Tert.am
21.11.11
In mentioning circular migration one should mention the migration
background, and Armenia should integrate in it as soon as possible.
“Emigration trends can still be observed, but not on a large-scale,”
Gagik Yeganyan, Head of the Migration Service of Armenia, said at a
conference on circular labor migration in Yerevan, Nov. 21.
Referring to independent experts, he said that emigrants numbered 1.2m
to 1.3m in 1991-2007. Specifically, massive emigration was registered
1991 to 2001 ~V emigrants numbered 1.1m. Also, a total of 150,000
emigrants were registered 2002 to 2007.
Most of the emigrants were labor migrants. Most of them left for Russia
because they had no jobs or prospects in Armenia. Eight per cent of
them left for Ukraine and Belarus, 10% to the United States and 7%
to other states.
Money transfers from Russia to Armenia have shown an annual increase
of 20% since 2001. In 2007, money transfers amounted to $1.63bn. This
January-September, they showed a 23% increase,” Yeganyan said.
According to him, circular labor migration is an EU-authored concept,
its aim being to facilitate labor migrants’ entry to the countries
and getting benefits from it.
Yeganyan is sure that, in the case of circular labor migration,
migrants will direct funds to their native lands and gain working
experience.
The EU member-states, which developed the circular migration
concept, have the necessary laws and agreements, which are grounds
for optimism over the application of this concept in Armenia. “In
2010, we developed a migration policy concept which envisages the
application of circular migration in Armenia. We are ready to sign
relevant bilateral agreements,” Yeganyan said.
From: A. Papazian