concern" over the decision of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to close down the Ministry of Diaspora."Despite not having the [...]" />

The Armenian Community of Argentina Expressed its "Concern" Over the Closure of the Ministry of Diaspora

24 de diciembre de 2018
The Armenian community of Argentina issued a statement on December 24 expressing their "concern" over the decision of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to close down the Ministry of Diaspora.

"Despite not having the right to interfere in State decisions, the Armenian community of Argentina can not be indifferent to this situation," read the statement.

"In the last ten years, the Ministry of the Diaspora has become the only official coordinating body for relations between Armenia and the Diaspora, thanks to which joint projects have been implemented in the fields of art, education, intellectual exchanges and many other cultural and social spheres. Whatever the justified or unwarranted criticisms of the activities carried out by the Ministry of the Diaspora, the changes would have to be based on strengthening it and not on its sudden elimination," added the text signed by the Armenian Institutions of the Argentine Republic (IARA), which coordinates all the institutions of the community.

"First, the dissolution of the Ministry of the Diaspora was not preceded by an overcoming proposal based on Armenian-Diaspora relations, leaving a vacuum that makes this relationship uncertain. Second, the existing and representative institutions in our Diaspora organized communities were ignored when making such a decision without consultation."

"After the Velvet Revolution, whose declarations, issued by its top leaders, we took as sincere, in which we would work together in order to empower Armenia-Diaspora relations to a new level and, in the repatriation of our compatriots, we hoped another attitude," expressed the statement.

"By publicly expressing our concern at this decision of the Government, we are hoping that this issue will be reconsidered and that the highest authorities will commit themselves to a Panarmenian vision, maintaining the relations with the Diaspora in the national political agenda."