Opportunity for 592 Georgian Citizens Studying in Armenia to Enter the Country

In the context of participating in the admission process to higher educational institutions of Armenia for the academic year 2020-2021, this year, online applications have been submitted by 84 diaspora Armenians (69 from Georgia, 14 from the Russian Federation, and 1 from the USA) and 11 Armenian citizens residing outside the country. This information was provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia.

With the permission of the authorized body, the aforementioned candidates have been allowed to enter Armenia without restrictions since June 25, 2020, to participate in the entrance examinations taking place from July 1. As a result, 17 Georgian citizens of Armenian descent who participated in the unified examinations have been accepted into Armenian higher educational institutions. According to the authorized body's permission, their entry into Armenia has been ensured for the purpose of participating in the educational process that commenced on September 1, 2020.

Based on several government decisions and the schedule for accepting documents from foreigners and diaspora Armenians for the 2020-2021 academic year at educational institutions providing preliminary, secondary, higher, and postgraduate professional educational programs, currently, more than 300 diaspora Armenians residing in foreign countries have applied to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, with around 250 being citizens of Georgia.

Some of the applicants are also participating in admission competitions for undergraduate programs in fields considered priority for the diaspora, such as Armenian studies, pedagogy, and arts, with the state fully reimbursing tuition fees in the form of student scholarships. The admission process is still ongoing.

Since August 10, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has conducted relevant activities to ensure the entry of the aforementioned citizens into Armenia. With the permission of the authorized body, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the Armenian Embassy in Georgia have facilitated the entry of these candidates (Georgian citizens) into Armenia.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has sent a circular to preliminary, secondary professional, and higher educational institutions in Armenia, providing information about Georgian citizens studying in their institutions who have issues entering the country due to the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic situation. According to the authorized body's permission, 592 Georgian citizens studying in Armenian educational institutions will be granted the opportunity to enter Armenia to participate in the educational process starting from September 15.

The authorized body has also facilitated the entry of 5 Georgian citizens studying in Armenian public schools. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues to carry out necessary work to ensure the entry of Georgian citizens who are students or applicants at Armenian educational institutions.