Yerevan keeps migration outflows top secret

By AzerNews

Recently simplified process of getting Russian citizenship by Russian-speaking compatriots will boost migration outflows from Armenia.

From 2008 to 2013, immigration reached 30,000-35,000 people per year. Russia is a final destination for 95-96 percent of the Armenian immigrants.

"Some 16,550 Armenian citizens got Russian citizenship in 2013," the State Migration Service reported.

The State Service believes that the simplified procedure of getting Russian citizenship will certainly have negative impact on Armenia. "This is a fact, which will promote emigration," the State Migration Service reported.

Local media considers this simplified process as an enormous obstacle on the way of Armenia's independence.

"Armenian population make quick run to Russia and a half of this population earn bread in Russia. This is the first blow to the independence of Armenia," media report reads.

"The Russian passport amounts to a rescue boat for Armenian citizens," local media noted. "However, the authorities do nothing to keep these people in Armenia, as well as to enhance the value of Armenian citizenship, to provide them with normal living conditions."

It seems the authorities have finally found out how to combat demographic catastrophe. They have decided to keep in a top secret, statistics on migration outflows.

"The authorities avoid publishing the statistic data on emigration, as statistics still remain a concern for them," local media reports.

The authority still keep the data for the first quarter of 2014 as a secret, despite April is coming to and end, media further notes.

"Last year the migration indicators had been published much earlier," media report reads.

"Furthermore, statistics indicators on data on border crossings were published monthly, but since the last year the data has been published once in a quarter," media reported.

In this case, keeping in a top secret statistics on migration outflows seems to be an 'effective way' to solve Armenia's complicated demographic situation: No statistics, no facts!