Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

The great hopes of many Armenians fleeing Syria unrest for a bright future in their homeland have been fading.

Most Syrian Armenians regret returning to their motherland where one third of the population lives in poverty.

Almost 20,000 Armenians have moved to Armenia since 2012 trusting President Serzh Sargsyan's empty promises on jobs and low-interest loans. Now, Syrian Armenians are finding it difficult to provide for their families. Moreover, most of them are still seeking a roof over their heads. Some 5,000 of Syrian Armenians have opted to leave the country.

Syrian Armenians complain about discrimination they are facing in the post-Soviet country with a mono-ethnic population. Armenians face threats and violence from intolerant compatriots in Armenia.

The Armenian authorities have also settled some Syrian refugees in occupied Azerbaijani territories, violating international laws and relevant conventions. This is an international crime, as the settlement of the refugees in a disputed territories is not acceptable.

Azerbaijan warned that the settlement of refugees in occupied territories is a very dangerous process with unpredictable consequences. The Azerbaijani government has called on the OSCE to hold a monitoring in Armenian-occupied lands to put end to the illegal settlement.

Armenian media is largely focused on the settlement of Syrian refugees in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan. "The situation of the Syrian refugee families in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh is miserable," the reports say.

The problems the refugees face in every aspect of life forces them to migrate to third countries.

Syrian Armenians setting up business in Armenia turn to failure, seeing there are no proper conditions to do business.

Grayr Akilyan, an ethnic Armenian who fled from Syria in search of a roof over his head, intended to launch his business in furniture production, but he realized later that to do business in Armenia is difficult. He called on the Syrian Armenians to stay away from doing joint business with the local businessmen. Akilyan believes that the government should provide Syrian Armenians with more incentives.

Armenia is on the verge of the socio-economic collapse. The government is unable to resolve the problems of its own citizens, let alone those of Syrian Armenians.

The reasons behind authorities' warm welcome of the Syrian Armenians is quiet understandable considering the county's plight. The population in the country keeps declining. The Armenian citizens who suffer from poverty and unemployment are leaving Armenia for a better future abroad.

The arrival of Syrian Armenians has given the authorities an opportunity to artificially increase the number of the population. However, despite the fact that the Syrian Armenians believe that they are returning to the homeland, they still face discrimination. The mono-ethnicity plays a big factor in realizing the authority's desire and save the country from collapse. A society which lacking tolerance can hardly accept such a plan from a desperate government.