Minister: some 75,000 Russian citizens arrived in Armenia

YEREVAN, April 15. /ARKA/. About 75 thousand people have arrived in Armenia from Russia since late February, Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan said in an interview with Russian RBC.

"As for the citizens of Ukraine, they are mainly ethnic Armenians, who had to return to their homeland. There are not many ethnic Ukrainians, maybe a couple of thousand, no more. Almost half of the 75,000 Russian citizens, who have arrived in Armenia since late February, have also Armenian passports," Kerobyan said.

He added that not all of them are going to stay in Armenia. "When I flew to Russia, there were a lot of Russians on the plane who had flown to Yerevan some time before and were returning," Kerobyan said.

He said Russians can stay in Armenia for 180 days without any special documents. "In general, Armenia, you know, is a hospitable country, and the citizens of the Russian Federation can live and work there freely," Kerobyan said.

He also recalled that Russia is already the biggest investor in Armenia. "And we think that, based on many factors, the rate of investment should be at least the same. It is clear that the economic situation is a little more complicated due to sanctions and so on. But I think the economic activity of our cooperation should not decrease, rather increase," Kerobyan said. -0-