YEREVAN. – A total of 35,500 people emigrated from Armenia in the first three months of this year alone, Zhoghovurd daily reports.

“The NSS [i.e., National Statistical Service] issued the ‘Armenia’s Socioeconomic Situation from January-March 2013’ report, according to which 259,210 Armenian citizens have left and 223,710 have returned to Armenia.

The indicators of the first quarter of this year surpassed last year’s data by about 10,000. In the first quarter of 2012, the difference between the Armenian citizens that left Armenia and that arrived in the country is -25,394. This, perhaps, is a consequence of not solely the dire socioeconomic conditions in the country, but also of the rigged presidential elections because the society’s hope is gradually fading away.       

The month of April came to an end, but the Armenian State Migration Service has not yet issued the number of those that arrived in and those that departed from Armenia, whereas in the past these data were issued in the middle of each month,” Zhoghovurd writes.