Armenia’s diaspora comes home amid challenges and opportunities
Young Armenians from the diaspora are taking a chance on returning to settle in the land of their ancestors. While the economy’s dynamism is appealing, certain integration challenges still make it difficult for them to find their place in society.
April 20, 2026 -
Hugo Laulan
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Issue 3 2026Magazine
“It attracted me because I saw professional growth here”, explains Meri Karakhanian, 24, who left Toronto, just six months earlier to settle permanently in Yerevan.
Photo: Hugo Laulan
The signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan seems closer than ever, particularly since the Washington summit last August, when the two countries agreed on the basis of an agreement. The prospect of peace and stability finally coming to the South Caucasus could boost “remigration” to the region. In Armenia, this phenomenon has already been accelerating for several years.
The Armenian diaspora is estimated at between five and eight million people worldwide, a significant number when you consider that only three million people reside in Armenia. In fact, the diaspora has an undeniable influence on the country’s functioning, both economically (remittances, investment, etc.) and culturally or in terms of soft power. The Armenian state wishes to rely on this population for the country’s development. In 2008, a ministry of diaspora was created to facilitate relations between Armenians abroad and their country of origin. In 2019, this ministry was replaced by the creation of the high commissioner for diaspora affairs, headed by Zareh Sinanyan, an Armenian-American and former mayor of Glendale, California.
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Armenia, diaspora, Society
