Ethnic Armenian kids to be deported from Netherlands will receive support by State Migration Service through all possible integration programs

The State Migration Service of the Armenian ministry of territorial administration and development is aware of the expected deportation of two ethnic Armenian children, Lily (12) and Howick (13), by the Netherlands.

Armina Hambartsjumian, the mother of the two kids, was sent back to Armenia earlier by the Dutch migration service.

Nelli Davtyan, PR specialist at the State Migration Service, told Armenpress that the Service has been notified that the kids will be deported to Armenia in the future.

She said Armenia’s State Migration Service will provide assistance to the kids with all possible integration programs if their mother doesn’t take care of them. Nelli Davtyan said they have no ties with the mother of the kids, they even don’t know whether she will be at the airport to welcome the kids or not. “If their mother doesn’t take care of them, we will make the kids beneficiaries with all possible programs in partnership with international organizations. There are many organizations, and we will assist the kids with the programs of these organizations, but if the mother takes care of them, we have nothing to do in that case. If they apply for any integration program, there is no problem, we will assist even if they do not apply”, she said.

Lily (12) and Howick (13) moved to Netherlands from Russia together with their mother Armina Hambartsjumian in 2008. They asked for asylum and received the response 9 years later which was negative as a decision was made to deport them to Armenia. Armina Hambartsjumian was deported, but the kids stayed in the Netherlands as the authorities had no information about the location: the mother sent the children to a secret address. The kids re-emerged from hiding. The kids have never lived in Armenia, they were born in Russia, but spent the past ten years in the Netherlands. Their mother was born in Azerbaijan, lived in Russia, but is a citizen of Armenia.

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands recently commented on this case, calling on the government to allow the kids to stay in the Netherlands. “I can’t and don’t want to judge the situation, but I have a great deal of sympathy for what these children are going through”, she said as quoted by Dutch News.

The Dutch government in its turn announced that the kids should be reunited with their mother. According to Dutch News, some reports say the mother cannot look after the kids.