In a written reply to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that there is no sufficient number of requests for evacuation by plane to organize such flights yet.
“There have not been and are not enough citizens of Armenia wishing to be repatriated that would make us consider the expediency of organizing a charter flight for them,” it said.
The ministry said that Armenians fleeing Ukraine mainly travel to five countries, namely: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. It said that they had been crossing land checkpoints to enter those countries “on different days and in different numbers.”
“In none of the mentioned countries there has been a sufficient number of Armenian citizens wishing to return home,” the ministry added.
The ministry did not provide information on how many Armenian citizens had actually expressed a wish to return home. Nor did it say how many citizens of Armenia or ethnic Armenian citizens of Ukraine had left the country since the start of the Russian invasion in late February.
“Taking into account the fact that there are several checkpoints in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova and citizens of other countries and not only Armenia cross these checkpoints, it is objectively impossible to control such a flow of people and register citizens of Armenia, especially that not all citizens of Armenia apply to Armenian embassies and consulates,” the ministry said.
The Office of Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service last week that it was trying to help Armenians leaving Ukraine and arriving in adjacent countries with documentation issues. It said that it was also receiving applications from families who wished to go to Armenia, but had no such opportunity. The Office did not report the exact number of such families, though.
Last week, Armenian authorities said that at least 4,000 citizens of Ukraine had arrived in Armenia since the start of the war in that country. It did not specify how many of them were ethnic Armenians.
Ukraine is home to an estimated 350,000 ethnic Armenians. According to local Diaspora organizations, at least 11 ethnic Armenians, including eight civilians, have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war.