Human rights defender: "Settlement of national minorities' problems requires big funds, while there are no such funds in Armenia"

• Saturday, July 21, 17:01

There are nearly 11 registered organizations of national minorities in Armenia.  The national minorities make up 2.7% of the total population of the country, Anna Safaryan, specialist at Department for Cooperation with Human Rights Organizations protecting the interests of vulnerable sections of the
population, Armenian Ombudsman's Office, told ArmInfo.

However, she said, this figure is official. The national minorities have the same, mainly social, problems as the local Armenians.

"Representatives of national minorities say that they have never faced national discrimination in the country. In addition, the Armenian budget allocates 10 million drams for settlement of the problems of national minorities every year. In 2011 that amount was doubled," she said.

Nevertheless, Safaryan said, national minorities have also problems with preservation of the national image and values. "Settlement of their problems require big funds, while there are no such funds in Armenia," she said. Safaryan is sure that it is unreasonable creating special schools or kindergartens for representatives of national minorities since they live throughout the country. National minorities have no representative in the Parliament of Armenia
because of disagreements of various communities who fail to choose anyone who would represent their rights.

To recall, recently Head of the Federation of Assyrian Organizations of Armenia "Khayadta", Irina Gasparyan, said talking to ArmInfo that the Armenian authorities are indifferent to the Assyrians living in the country.