Friday, August 21 2020 10:28

ArmInfo. Repatriation programs should have both short and long term dimensions. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said this yesterday at a meeting dedicated to repatriation issues.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister's office, during the meeting,  Tigran Avinyan stressed the need to ensure interaction with various  existing programs for repatriates, creating new ones if necessary  and, as a result, developing a single package.

The meeting participants touched upon the assessment of the needs of  repatriates, identifying possible problems and attracting the  necessary resources for their solutions.

They also discussed issues related to the return of repatriates,  education, health care, economic development.

Note  that on April 17 this year the Armenian parliament adopted the  draft amendments to the law "On customs regulation", according to  which the repatriates were able to import their personal property  duty- free into the territory of Armenia. According to the co-author  of the document, MP Sisak Gabrielyan, the current processes in the  world related to the COVID-19 epidemic indicate that the safest place  is home. On the issue of repatriation, the RA State Revenue Committee  will cooperate with the RA Police, in particular, with the visa  department, and the office of the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora  Issues. Each family got the opportunity to transport three household  appliances, one car, one set of used furniture and clothes in an  unlimited volume to the territory of the republic. Those persons who  had been absent from Armenia for at least 915 days for at least 1825  days received the right to transport. Upon arrival in Armenia, they  will have to formalize their status at the passport and visa  department within 60 days, after which they will have to register  their property at the Ararat customs office of the SRC within 18  months. This period is necessary for the repatriate to determine his  further actions - whether he remains in the republic, or leaves it.

Earlier, the Chief Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan  noted that there is repatriation to Armenia, but it has not yet  reached the desired scale. He noted that in order to achieve the  desired results, it is necessary to create minimum conditions - to  simplify bureaucratic processes and create a body that will deal with  the integration of Armenians from the Diaspora.