Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On April 1, 2020, RA citizen T.A. applied to HCA Vanadzor and informed that he had left for the Russian Federation in February and could not come back, whereas the term of staying in the RF would expire on April 19. Together with him, 4 members of his sister’s family also wanted to return to the RA.

HCA Vanadzor applied to RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to solve the issue raised by T.A. and his relatives. 

HCA Vanadzor asked for information regarding the actions taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in regard to the organization of the return of RA citizens, who expressed a will to come back.

In the response dated April 7, Head of the Media and Public Diplomacy Department of the Ministry Serob Bejanyan informed that hotlines opened in all the diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Armenia abroad, and citizens were exhorted to register. 

The Ministry also provided information as to how many citizens had been evacuated from which countries, and how many had returned to Armenia so far.

It should be mentioned that T.A., who had applied to HCA Vanadzor, and his relatives have not managed to return to Armenia so far.

Though Artak Ghazaryan, representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations under the Embassy of RA in the Russian Federation, informed Lurer, on April 13, that persons with accommodation and financial problems, as well as those who have small children, elderly persons, persons in the stage of post-operational rehabilitation and persons in need of treatment were prioritised, the citizen alarmed that when buying tickets from Domodedovo airport, the priority criteria mentioned by the Embassy did not work, and those who arrived at the airport earlier or queued since night were the ones who managed to get tickets.

In conversation with the Lurer, Artak Ghazaryan also noted that the transportation of persons who had financial problems was accomplished by the Embassy with the support of benefactors. At the same time, as the citizen informed us, prices of flight tickets kept increasing from 17 thousand RUB up to 40 thousand RUB. 

Let us also note that there is no mention of this in the Ministry’s response.

Photo taken from the video material of Lurer