ArmInfo. "We always have hopes related to the influx of the population, but in the short term I expect that there will be an outflow of the population in Armenia," Zareh Sinanyan, the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, told reporters. In this regard, he explained that such tendencies will be due to the decaying mood of the population caused by the negative consequences of the war.
The political opposition views the increased demand for tickets to Russia as an ''escape of the population", but most analysts see it as high deferred demand from tens of thousands of seasonal workers who have not been able to travel to Russia due to coronavirus restrictions.
To note, from February 1 to March 1 of this year the Eurasian Fund for Digital Initiatives has launched a pilot project "Travel without COVID-19", according to which the test results for coronavirus will be mutually recognized between the authorized bodies of the union states. With the start of the program at the Yerevan Zvartnots airport, there has already been a crowd of people wishing to leave the country. According to official statistics, 24,186 people moved to Armenia from abroad in 2019 (with an annual growth of 22.1%), and 30,125 people emigrated abroad (with an annual growth of 17.5%). 19808 people moved to Armenia in 2018 (an annual growth of 12.5%), and 25641 people emigrated abroad (7.5% annual growth). That is, we are talking about reducing the negative migration balance. Data for 2020 has not yet been released. The main countries where the citizens of Armenia prefer to move are Russia, the USA, France, Germany, Georgia and Ukraine.