Labour migrants from Armenia are mostly engaged in irregular migration. The vast majority either has low qualifications or lacks any at all. The cost of engagement in labour migration is comparatively high, and Armenians seem to prefer to “find Euro3000 from somewhere and leave”, rather than to sign an employment contract and secure safe warrants, such as insurance, a legal status in the destination country for the period of employment and so on. In the result, labour migrants face a number of financial challenges while working abroad. 

Since the very first days of the Syrian crisis the issue of emigration of Syrian Armenians to Armenia appeared on the political agenda of the Republic of Armenia. The first response of the government was the facilitation of the procedure to acquire an Armenian passport. Meanwhile, there is no immigration programme in the country, no relevant policy. There is no social accord regarding the issue and no response mechanisms. 

If many countries and superpowers are apprehensive of the crisis in Syria in global terms, for the Republic of Armenia this crisis is first and foremost about the safety of Syrian Armenians. Indeed, like many other states Armenia also has its political interests in the Middle East: the Syrian crisis has evoked serious concerns on the horizon of Armenian foreign policy as well. One can, for example, try to analyze the situation, identify which powers support whichever political groups, and assess the military and political developments in Syria. However, our priority at the moment is the security of Syrian Armenians. Therefore, political issues should be discussed and used towards the benefit of Armenians in Syria, in order to prevent any imminent threats to the Armenian community.

The income and remittances from Armenian labour migrants to their families back home remain a significant economic factor in socio-economic development of the country even in times of financial crisis. The volume of remittances has continuously increased over 2010-2011. Families in Armenia use these resources mainly to pay utility bills (the cost of which usually doubles in winter) and cover expenses for education and health services, emergencies and big family events, such as a wedding or a funeral.

On September 23, 2009 the Government of the Republic of Armenia (RA) approved the draft proposal of amendments to the law on non-governmental organizations. This resolution triggered an unprecedented cooperation of civil society organizations (CSO) in the country. The common effort had one goal: to cancel the further ratification of the bill and any changes in the law.