The delegation led by Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Suren Papikyan attended the first Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.
Minister Papikyan attached importance to the format of the event and stressed that 85% of refugees are currently hosted in countries with low and average incomes which creates an additional burden for the social security systems of the host countries. Papikyan also underlined that Armenia is conducting a complex revision of the policy on the integration of refugees, displaced persons and long-term migrants and placing emphasis on the coordinated work of state and non-governmental organizations and the development of sovereignty of the mentioned groups.
In his speech, Minister Papikyan also mentioned the nearly 400,000 refugees who were displaced as a result of the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Azerbaijan in 1988-92 and who made up nearly 12% of the population of Armenia in that period. He also talked about the 22,000 refugees from Syria who turned Armenia into the third country in Europe with the largest number of refugees from Syria per capita. “Most of them are the generations of Armenians who were forced to leave their settlements as a result of the genocide that took place in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Armenia highly appreciates the entrepreneurism of the refugees from Syria and the contributions that they are making to the development of society and economy in Armenia. I would like to call on partnering countries and international organizations to increase assistance for the integration of refugees from Syria,” he said.
In closing, Minister Papikyan added that Armenia hosts persons displaced from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and fewer people from Africa and Asia, providing them with shelter and opportunities to start a life in safety.
