Minister: We Must Be Prepared for Our Citizens to Settle in Armenia if They Leave Lebanon

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Zaruhi Batoyan, has stated on her Facebook page: "After the explosion in Lebanon, it is natural that our compatriots living in Beirut, especially Armenian citizens, should expect support from the Republic of Armenia. Now that the government has provided initial assistance to Lebanon and the first steps have been taken, we must be prepared for the possibility that if our compatriots living there decide to leave Lebanon for any reason, their destination should be our country. They should have a new opportunity to live freely, happily, and prosperously in Armenia.

What is most important is to do everything possible so that after coming to Armenia, they do not think about moving to another country, as happened with many Syrian Armenians. To this end, first and foremost, we need to develop social support and integration programs, and review the existing programs. Work in this direction has already begun, and the ministry is also participating in discussions."