Referral Centre for Reintegration provides support to Armenian returning migrants

A Referral Centre for Reintegration was established with EU support on 11 March 2014 in Yerevan. The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Traian Hristea and the Head of the State Migration Service of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration Gagik Yeganyan, delivered welcome speeches during the opening of the centre.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Traian Hristea highlighted the fact that in the light of the Mobility Partnership Declaration the Targeted Initiative for Armenia project shows the importance that the European Union attaches to the further development of the migration flow management in Armenia. It also shows the scale of assistance in order to strengthen the institutional capacity of the institutions concerned to manage migration and to facilitate migrants’ reintegration process.

In his opening speech Mr Gagik Yeganyan stated that from now on Armenian nationals will be able to benefit from individual reintegration support at the Referral Centre for Reintegration, which has been established at the State Migration Service within the framework of the Targeted Initiative for Armenia project.

According to the Director of the Targeted Initiative for Armenia, Virginie Artot, the centre provides returning Armenian nationals with a one-stop shop after their return in Armenia, where they are informed about the possibilities for reintegration and are referred to the most appropriate services to get reintegration assistance. “In order to provide a wide range of reintegration assistance the State Migration Service and the Targeted Initiative for Armenia project are already actively cooperating with 4 organisations providing reintegration assistance,” she added.

The Targeted Initiative for Armenia project is the flagship project under the Mobility Partnership between the European Union and Armenia. The aim of the project is to strengthen Armenia’s migration management capacities with special focus on reintegration activities. The project is being implemented by a Consortium of 8 EU Member States under the lead of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII). The implementation period of the project is 3 years, and the overall budget is € 3 million.