The global financial crisis prevented the majority of potential seasonal migrants from leaving the country in 2009, said Gagik Yeganyan, Head of Migration Service at RA Ministry of Territorial Administration.
Particularly, the number of seasonal migrants has twice decreased twice (60-70 thousand people), he told journalists in Yerevan on Friday.
At that, he noted that over 1 million 290 thousand migrants came to Armenia during the past 11 months, while the number of those leaving the country made 392 thousand 402. The results, however, will be summed up in late January 2010, considering that migration flows tend to increase during New Year holidays.
With regard to 2010 migration dynamics, Yeganyan said it will depend on host countries’ situation. Particularly, if crisis continues, there is risk for the return of long-term Russian immigrants, who make up 94% of Armenia’s migrants. “Since global economy has overcome the culmination of crisis, we are hopeful long-term migrants will not have to quit their residence,” he noted.
Considering the increasing number of migrants on global scale, U.N. General Assembly proclaimed December 18 International Migrants’ Day. That was the day Assembly adopted an International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. According to international agencies’ estimations, there are currently 200 migrants throughout the world, who live and work in foreign countries.
