President Sargsyan urges experts and government agencies to look deeper into migration trends

YEREVAN, July 20. / ARKA /. Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan urged today experts and government agencies to look deeper into migration processes in the country during a meeting with high-level government officials that was devoted to migration trends, Sargsyan’s press office said.

The meeting was attended by prime minister Tigran Sarkisian, deputy prime minister Armen Gevorgyan, head of the presidential staff Karen Karapetian, director of the National Security Service Gorik Hakobyan, head of Police Alik Sargsyan, head of the State Migration Service of the Ministry of Territorial Administration Gagik Yeganian and chairman of the National Statistical Service Stepan Mnatsakanyan.

"The head of the country said he was very closely watching public debates on migration issues and believes that neither experts nor heads of relevant government agencies attempted or did anything to thoroughly explain the situation before trumpeting some figures. He also said all should rely on objective trends in their public remarks," the presidential press service said.

"If we do not pay sufficient attention to the periodically published comments on migration figures and trends, then active speculation based on half-conclusions and surface analysis are moved to the forefront", president Sargsyan was quoted as saying.

As a recent example he said that after the publication of latest data on passenger transportation, a phrase "45 thousand people left Armenia in 4 months" has just become a slogan of certain circles. The president said if someone took the trouble to study the dynamics of migration process in a monthly or quarterly term, he or she could easily see that the picture in October and December is different , because 40,000 of those 45,000 who left Armenia are back home.  -0-