The Armenian migration in Bulgaria History, Specifics, Issues Reintegration Center Armenia Yerevan, 04-05.09.2013 Elina Raynova Association FOR YOU, Varna, Bulgaria

Funded by the European Union Return Fund

Armenian minority in Bulgaria

•on the Balkans since the 5th century AD

•During the Ottoman conquest (1363 - 1693), successive waves of settlers, Armenians from Armenia, Crimea, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Asia Minor, reached the territory of modern Bulgaria.

•20 000 Armenians, escaping the Turkish violence, settled in Bulgaria in 1894 - in 1896

•during the Balkan War (1912 - 1913), the number of Armenians in Bulgaria reached 35 000

•in 1922, 22 000 Armenians found refuge in Bulgaria and their number increased to 47 000 people.

Armenian minority in Bulgaria •In 1935 and 1946 groups of Armenians are deported from Bulgaria in Armenia, when the republic join the USSR.

•According to data from 1994 in Bulgaria live around 13 000 Armenians.

•According to the last census of 2011 the Armenian minority in Bulgaria are 6 552 people , which place them on a 4th place after the Turkish, the Roma and the Russian minorities.

Armenian minority in Bulgaria

Mostly in the big cities – Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas bus also smaller ones like Shumen, Haskovo, Pazardjik , Ruse, Yambol, Sliven

The biggest community is in Plovdiv

Very well integrated- in the social and cultural live but do not participate in politics

11 Armenian churches in Bulgaria

1 Armenian school in Plovdiv (175 years old)

Armenian language classes in the churches in the big cities – Varna, Sofia, Bourgas

Armenian minority in Bulgaria Armenian church in Varna

Armenian minority in Bulgaria Armenian church in Plovdiv

Armenian minority in Bulgaria Armenian school in Plovdiv

Armenian minority in Bulgaria Armenian school in Plovdiv

Armenian minority in Bulgaria Armenian school in Plovdiv

Armenian minority in Bulgaria

3 newspapers

Armenian General Benevolent Union with 10 branches all over Bulgaria

The Armenian Scouts

5 more Armenian cultural and civic organizations with branches all over Bulgaria

Newcomers - after the 1990 the fall of the communistic regime and

the calmer political situation in Bulgaria the high amount of Armenians in

Bulgaria to escape the war recently to obtain Bulgarian citizenship

and thus EU citizenship to go in Western Europe later

Newcomers - after the 1990

According to the census of 2011 about 1168 Armenian citizens live in Bulgaria

Mostly in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas Between the top 10 countries of asylum

seekers Between 01.01.1993-30.06.2013 there are

1894 people who applied for protection Illegally residing Armenians between

1991-2006 are 310 people

Newcomers - after the 1990 Top 10 countries of asylum seekers

01.01.1993-30.06.2013

0 2000 4000 6000

Afganistan ( 5857)

Iraq (5383)

Armenia (1894)

Syria (1547)

Stateless (1251)

Iran (999)

Serbia and Montenegro …

Algeria (752)

Nigeria (531)

Turkey (394)

Newcomers - after the 1990

Different from the local Armenian minority –do not like each other so much

Speak different type of Armenian

(eastern/western) Priests in the churches are local Armenians

(only in Varna and in Sofia there are priests from Armenia)

Embassy in Sofia and consulate in Plovdiv,

the consulate in Varna was recently closed

Barriers for legal residence

Military service in Armenia

No reason to grant refugee or humanitarian status

No legal job or not job at all

Not enough money to cover the legal requirements for long term residence ship

Bibliography http://armenians.orionbg.net/bg/

www.arminbg.org

Bulgarian National Agency for refugees

Bulgarian National Statistical Institute

The immigration in Bulgaria, International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, Anna Krasteva, Sofia, 2005

Country Profile, IOM, 2007