Emigration, inflation growing in Armenia

/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Emigration from Armenia is on the rise. A new phase of a massive outflow was revealed during a session of the National Assembly on October 24.

Secretary of the Armenian National Congress's parliamentary fraction Aram Manukyan blamed the incumbent government for the problem in the country.

Manukyan referred to the national statistics data saying that about 113,000 residents left Armenia in January-September of 2014 and large number of them refused to return. He also added that around 110,000-120,000 people leave the country each year. Nearly 60,000 emigrants see the outflow as a salvation.

The national statistics service's regular reports reveal that the number of emmigrants is on the rise day by day. Just a month ago, the official data reported that 49,000 emigrants rejected to come back to Armenia, but now the figure is 60,000. These are not just official data or figures, but also the portrayers of Armenia's tragic future.

Manukyan said the residents who have left Armenia, invite their relatives to join them after a certain period of living in a foreign country. "That's a serious challenge facing Armenia and a solution to this problem is a power change. Almost everyone in the country support the idea of power change. Only those who work at state institutions back the incumbent authorities," he added.

Economic hurdle in Armenia is viewed among the driving factors behind the surging outflow. The post-Soviet country has reportedly complicated the economic circumstances by joining the Eurasian Economic Union. Ambiguous approaches to the EEU membership have hindered the authorities and nation to sing the same tune since President Serzh Sargsyan announced his decision on September 3,2013, to join the alliance.

Now, the analysts and local media say the membership at EEU will bring uptick to inflation rate in the country. "Economy Ministry forecasted on February that the EEU membership will increase the inflation by1.5 percent. Nonetheless, the figure, in fact, is outdated now. The influence of the joining the economic alliance will be about 3 percent on the inflation," Haykanak Zhamanak paper wrote. In other words; if the annual inflation rate is 4 percent, it will increase to 7 percent as soon as Armenia starts its official activity at the EEU.