We Are Losing the Diaspora Today: Pashinyan

Those who are ethnic Armenians but do not have citizenship of the Republic of Armenia (RA) are part of the Diaspora. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting with a group of representatives of the Armenian community in Switzerland.

“From the perspective of real Armenia, a Diaspora Armenian is part of the Armenian nation. There are many representatives of the Armenian nation in the RA and many representatives outside the RA. Those who are ethnic Armenians but do not have citizenship of the RA are part of the Diaspora. Those who have citizenship of the RA are not part of the Diaspora. In my opinion, in the medium and long term, ethnicity and citizenship will become increasingly interconnected.

There is a larger emigration from the Diaspora than from the RA, and there has always been. Emigration from the Diaspora is when a person of Armenian descent does not speak Armenian, does not read in Armenian, and does not live according to Armenian traditions; that is emigration. At a certain point, even if the last name is preserved, they do not associate themselves with the Armenian nation—this is emigration. There has never been as much emigration from the RA as there is today from the Diaspora. We are losing the Diaspora today, and the only way to save the Diaspora is through the RA and the association of individuals with the RA as their homeland. Otherwise, we will no longer have a Diaspora,” stated Pashinyan.