Articles
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-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=18ec135767d9b249361ea68dc589256c "Making the World Better, Starting with Armenia: Arshak Ulubabyan")
Personal Stories30.01.2026Preface Over two years of working at Repat Armenia, I have had the privilege of meeting many repatriates, and through them – encountering very different attitudes toward Armenia and plans for it. Some repatriated because only here they feel truly at home, some – because in Armenia one can step out of the constant race and feel the pulse of life, others – because the mountains call. And so on. For Arshak Ulubabyan, who lives with the idea of making the world a better place, Armenia turned out to be the most fitting place to implement these ideas. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=23dae2fe2058834442cf039b65314523 "A New Home Where Jazz Plays: Mikhail Fominykh")
Personal Stories19.01.2026“Jazz has the power to transcend borders, foster dialogue, and ignite joy and hope”: these words, spoken by American jazz pianist and composer, 14-time Grammy Award winner, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, incredibly accurately describe the story of my new hero. Jazz double bassist Mikhail Fominykh, like many others, was forced to leave Russia. He had to overcome both territorial and cultural boundaries on his way to a place that later became his new home. Jazz became the foundation upon which strong dialogue with new people was built and hope for joyful days ahead was sown. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=3b5399a90a4f387ba6efd00942e22f6b "Short-Term Return: How Diaspora Armenians Can Contribute Without Moving Fully")
Professional Insights09.01.2026Perhaps, as a diasporan, you’ve put off repatriation due to careers, family matters, financial obligations, or legal realities. After all, uprooting your entire life isn’t an easy decision and isn’t always realistic. At the same, you still want to contribute to Armenia, you still want to make a positive impact on the country that shapes a big part of your identity. Well, here’s the good news: meaningful Armenian diaspora engagement no longer requires a permanent move! Pathways now exist for Armenians who want to stay connected without fully repatriating. The options are endless: short-term return to Armenia, project-based work, targeted investments, youth exchange programs…you name it! -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=4005638d0be1c4e947a6bc77c3bb5d79 "Mapping the Armenian Diaspora: Who They Are, Where They Are, and What They Want")
Engage Armenia23.12.2025We hear a lot of blanket statements about the diaspora and its role in shaping Armenia. Still, few people take the time to truly understand what the diaspora actually is. With debates around repatriation growing stronger, it is important for anyone considering a return to understand who Armenians abroad are, where they live, and what drives their decision to come home (or stay abroad). This article maps the Diaspora with an analytical lens, and explores what, in 2025, the Diaspora might want and expect if they consider repatriation. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=4ec2cdaea610009dbd01c69de2e46b11 "To Work Without the Right to Give Up. Artush Yeghiazaryan")
Personal Stories22.12.2025Fighting Against Mine Exploitation as a Starting Point for Repatriation Having received an education and lived abroad for many years, Artush Yeghiazaryan, a native of Leninakan, one fine day in 2018 returned to his hometown — now Gyumri, formerly Leninakan — bringing with him solid professional experience.The decision to return home was not made immediately; moreover, it came only after nearly five years of active work in and for the homeland: “In 2012, like most Armenians who do not live in Armenia but live with Armenia in their hearts, I came across a Facebook post about a group of young people who were fighting against the opening of a mine in Teghut. This situation had a strong impact on me; I contacted them and offered my help. We became friends, and the story of the mine became the starting point on my path back home.” -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=514c9bae97812b82544efe84923701c0 "“Building should be based on what unites us.” Lusine Khumaryan")
Personal Stories17.12.2025Leaving Armenia Is an Unhealed Trauma Recently, the Forum of Armenian Culture and Art took place in Yerevan, organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The founder of Armenian Creators, Lusine Khumaryan, who has been living in the Netherlands for many years, was also invited to the forum. Her visit became an occasion to get acquainted with her and to speak about the platform of Armenian creators she founded. -
-webp(85)-o(jpg).webp?token=71c9a9478ce108939db119f3b5933c1d "Choosing Your Armenian Region: Yerevan vs. the Provinces - Lifestyle, Opportunities, and Cost of Living")
Practical Tips03.12.2025“Kotayk? Really? All that way from Kentron?” This was a common response whenever I told people that I was moving out of Yerevan after living on Pushkin street in the heart of the city center for more than 4 years. It almost felt like one of those video games, where the character hasn’t unlocked areas on the map yet. You see, Armenia might look compact, but living here isn't as one-size-fits-all as you’d think. In the span of a single afternoon, you can leave a crowded Yerevan intersection and drive past apricot orchards to arrive in a quiet village where someone you’ve never met still greets you like you’re old family. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=b4e1518172989901157df5d256041ab6 "In Armenia – My Port: A Completely Different Story of Yaroslav Zabavskiy")
Personal Stories28.11.2025In Search of Oneself Yaroslav Zabavskiy is a veteran among his compatriots in terms of the length of residence in Armenia: the first “stone” in establishing and strengthening his roots here was in fact laid in 2016. Yaro (as he is called in Armenia) has been living here for ten years already. At a young age, Yaroslav left the Moscow region for Wales to study in the UWC educational system, which radically changed the course of his entire future life. After graduating from college, he went to the USA to receive higher education in the field of international relations. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=cae3892f4238fee472334d32d2b18e38 "One-Way Ticket for a Birthday: The Story of Armen Aikazunyan")
Personal Stories24.11.2025The most valuable birthday gift Armen Aikazunyan ever gave himself was celebrating his 31st birthday in his historical homeland. It was Armen’s first visit to Armenia, and now he no longer wants to leave and return back. “I was very interested in Armenia and the Armenian language. My grandparents, who had visited Armenia in the 1970s, and my father told me a lot about it. My parents, my grandparents and I — we all spoke, read, and wrote in Armenian; our entire family studied at an Armenian school,” the hero begins his story. -
-webp(85)-o(jpg).webp?token=afe8ebb21e7106f66ee574de2da90233 "Lav Klini vs. Sagh Vat A: Exploring How Attitudes Change Outside of Yerevan")
Opinions24.11.20252 min“Lav klini,” an old man mutters as he warms his hands around a small glass of homemade moonshine outside his stone house in Sisisan, Syunik region. Looking at his face and haggard eyes, you can see decades of hardship; he’s a veteran of the first Artsakh war and participated in the 44-day war in 2020. Yet, when you ask how things are going, he replies as if he’s seen too much to waste his energy on despair. “Lav klini,” he says. All will be well. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=ecb603c9c91f9fdbe505db11886c710b "Following Her Mission: The Story of Gayane Safronova")
Personal Stories18.11.2025Most of Gayane Safronova’s (Hovhannisyan) life was spent in Russia, but her warmest memories are of her childhood — the one spent in the First Massiv (a district in Yerevan) and in a village in Jermuk: “I was born in Yerevan, and when I was one year old, my parents moved to Moscow. They went through difficult years, like everyone who relocated from Armenia to Russia in the 1990s. But even during those hard times, my sister and I had amazing summer vacations: we would come to Yerevan and spend two weeks in the capital, and then almost three months with our grandmother in a village in Jermuk. It was a wonderful childhood filled with games and other children. We had cows, and our favorites were named Siranush and Sevuk.” -
-webp(85)-o(jpg).webp?token=e0b9b325acab461929343446b2a3b1ea "Beyond the Honeymoon Period: How to Handle Cultural Differences in Armenia")
Practical Tips13.11.20252 minPicture this: You’ve done it; you packed your bags and repatriated. Some months have passed, and you’re starting to feel like you’re fitting in. And then, suddenly, things start changing. You see, moving to Armenia is an exciting adventure: the landscapes, the warmth of the people, and the rich cultural tapestry…all of these can make anyone feel instantly at home. Yet, as many foreigners in Armenia discover, the initial euphoria eventually gives way to a more complex stage of adaptation. That’s when true understanding begins. You learn how to navigate cultural differences in Armenia and adjust to a way of life that’s deeply rooted in history, tradition, and community. -
-webp(85)-o(jpg).webp?token=971ee62e3e9fccd858d2b5c20a502b48 "From Repat to Real Estate Guru: What to Do and What Not to Do When Purchasing a Home in Armenia")
Practical Tips30.10.20252 minFinding My Home in the Homeland Buying a home in Armenia had always been on my bingo card since repatriating. Becoming a real estate guru, however, wasn’t. But here we are! Through mistakes made and lessons learned, I finally purchased my first home. If you’re thinking about doing the same, you’ve probably realized it’s not just about bricks and beams. The Armenian real estate market, while full of promise, has its quirks. So, here’s what I discovered along the way and would like to share with you. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=4877af3d249d156af3b4f1027f2524e4 "The Point of Return. Homeland")
Personal Stories27.10.2025Genetic Connection with Armenia Kseniya Yakutovich was born in Gyumri, spent her entire childhood there, and later moved to Russia with her family. But she never lost her connection with Armenia: she met her husband in Moscow — the same person who attended the same sports school as her back in Gyumri, and life brought them together again in Russia. “We often came to Armenia: my husband has relatives here, and I have family on my father’s side. When we returned to Moscow, we missed Armenia terribly and longed to come back. The seed had been planted. And all the objective and subjective circumstances, all the pieces of the puzzle came together, and in 2024 we moved to Armenia,” says Kseniya Yakutovich. -
-webp(85)-o(png).webp?token=b5646f007274116fd0fdf6c3d0b61c02 "Teaching, Healing, and Inspiring through Music: Kamil Tchalaev’s “Wild School”")
Personal Stories23.10.2025Moscow and the Search for Destiny A few years ago, I attended the rock opera “Juno and Avos,” which had a full house at the Rostov Musical Theater. I could hardly have imagined then that years later—and in Armenia, no less—I would have the chance to meet someone who was among the creators of that very opera. Kamil Tchalaev is a composer, violinist, conductor, teacher, and sound therapy specialist. He came to Armenia at the invitation of the “301. Land of Wisdom” Foundation and continues his work here.
