Syrian Armenians’ argument, according to which there are no conditions in Armenia for living and doing business, is a fact, Hranush Hakobyan confirmed the fact in her statement.

“Of course, there is poverty and unemployment in Armenia,” Hakobyan said. She said though the Armenian government tries to do its best and create convenient conditions for Syrian Armenians, they are leaving the country.

`They [i.e. the Syrian Armenians who came to Armenia in recent years] were confident that the crisis in Syria can be resolved in a few months and they will return`. But it wasn’t resolved, and they had to stay in Armenia. As per the minister, these Syrian Armenians were given unprecedented loan benefits, which helped many of them to get established in Armenia. But they are leaving the country to have better conditions,” Hranush Hakobyan added.

More than 3000 Syrian Armenians sheltered in Armenia, especially in Armenian-occupied Nagorno Karabakh of Azerbaijan have had to flee again for better life. The displaced Syrian say it is not easy for them to overcome the difficulties in the way of living in Armenia. Health-care needs, housing issues, a lack of well-paid jobs, a harsh business environment, language and cultural barriers are formidable constraints facing most Syrian families in Armenia.


Since the start of the conflict in Syria, 17,000 Syrian citizens, primarily of ethnic Armenian background, have arrived in Armenia. Many of them have already left the country. An estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war. The majority of Syrian refugees are living in Jordan and Lebanon now.

Additionally, UNHCR, through its partner NGOs, is working to address the urgent humanitarian needs of displaced Syrian families by offering a wide range of emergency assistance and integration projects.

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