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“Ladies and Gentlemen,

First I would like to thank the rapporteur for the excellent work done.

Yesterday was the International Migrants Day, the day to stop and think, the day to act and care. The problem of migrants and refugees touching the whole Europe, and the first and most vulnerable point is to protect migrants of feeling “away-from-home”. First, we need to understand, that migrants or refugees, however we call them, they are ordinary people that because of severe need left their home and took the way to other country under the compulsion of circumstances. They need to accept everything new in new country; they need also to be accepted by the new country. My people know it by its history – many of hundreds of thousands of Armenians had to leave their home and find new shelter in other countries in order save the life and escape massacres. They were displaced from Turkey hundred years ago because of Genocide.

Today, new migrants and refugees have been spread in many European countries, and this is the exact time to show humanity and hospitality to people in need. My country gave shelter to about 30.000 refugees, and Armenia is a country that had adopted several legislative regulations for giving this people business privileges for full integration. Our government takes all necessary steps to provide the people that has been sheltered in Armenia the normal life conditions.

And there are many other countries in Europe, that hosted migrants, and now, by raising this sensitive issue to provide them safety and security also speaks about great care of all of us to migrants. This is normal, we are humans.

Thus, there is a member state of the Council of Europe; I mean Turkey; has another approach to refugees: for which they have become a tool for speculations and even blackmail. Turkey even threatens neighbouring countries with “opening border for migrants”. Is it acceptable behavior for Europe? I’m sure – NO.

The rapporteur did a good work, indeed, and Greece needs support, Greek asylum service needs our support, refugees and especially migrant women and children need to be protected.

Thank you, Ms Strik, for touching very sensitive and very important topic, for being with those, who needs to be taken care of. ”