Working visit of the delegation led by the RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan to India (New Delhi)

23 February, 2024

On 21-23 February 2024, the delegation led by the RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan, was on a working visit to New Delhi to participate in the 9th annual international conference "Raisina Dialogue" dedicated to global security issues. The event attended by global and regional state and non-state bodies, providing an opportunity for multi-faceted dialogue and cooperation.
The conference started with the “Armenian-Indian dialogue” event, in the framework of which Minister Narek Mkrtchyan also made an opening speech. Emphasizing the importance of effective partnership relations with India, the Minister spoke about the steps taken on both sides to promote partnership between the two countries. It was emphasized that relations with India have been actively developing lately which is one of the priorities of Armenia's foreign policy. “Cooperation between Armenia and India has gained new momentum in a number of fields, including trade and economy, high technologies, education and culture. The mutual respect and trust existing between the two peoples since ancient times contribute to the intensification of human-to-human exchanges in various fields,” the Minister noted. Referring to the reforms carried out in the field of labor migration and the work being done in the direction of the existing problems, Narek Mkrtchyan noted that the ministry under his leadership is developing the necessary approaches to ensure the appropriate regulation of the sector. The Minister also talked about the memorandum signed by the ministry in 2022 with “Skill India” which provides training and skill development opportunity. In his speech, the minister also emphasized the potential of cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and offered to consider the idea of creating a global AI innovation platform to facilitate the exchange of solutions and research and to promote social benefits through international cooperation. In the context of the importance of demonstrating peace, cooperation and mutual respect between nations, the concept of “Crossroads of Peace” was also discussed and it was noted that security, economic stability and the development of countries should be considered as a collective global responsibility. During the conference, panel discussions were also organized within the framework of which the participants discussed a number of issues related to Armenia-India cooperation.
As part of his visit to India, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan, had a meeting with the Chief Executive Director of the “National Skill Development Corporation”, Ved Mani Tiwari. RA Ambassador to India Vahagn Afyan also participated in the discussion. During the meeting, a number of issues related to the directions of cooperation in the field of social protection, particularly in the field of employment, were discussed. The parties also referred to 2022, to the obligations reached within the framework of the signed cooperation memorandum, emphasizing the implementation of practical steps in the direction of the points provided for in the document. Minister Mkrtchyan emphasized the need for cooperation in the field of labor migration and offered to consider the possibility of developing the necessary regulations to ensure the employment of Indian citizens arriving in Armenia. In this context, the idea of creating a suitable platform was also discussed which will allow recruiting the Indian workforce on the one hand and presenting the available vacancies in Armenia through the Unified Social Service on the other hand. At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to process the discussed issues in a short time.
On February 22, Minister Narek Mkrtchyan had a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, director of the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. During the meeting, the parties referred to the works carried out in the field of protection of children's rights, the existing challenges, in particular, outlining the possibilities of cooperation in the direction of the phenomenon of labor exploitation of children. Presenting the RA Government's policy in the field of children's rights protection, Minister Narek Mkrtchyan noted that one of the state's priorities is the full realization of every child's right to live in a family and ensuring their best interests. He noted that in 2023 for the first time in Armenia, a regional conference on the development of the foster care institute was held within the framework of which the problems of the sector were discussed with international and local specialists. The Minister suggested to Kailash Satyarthi to create a joint platform that will enable practical steps to be taken to prevent the phenomenon of child labor exploitation. Narek Mkrtchyan also referred to the international labor conference held in Armenia for the first time and in that context spoke about Armenia's membership in the World Coalition for Social Justice initiated by the Director General of the ILO. The Minister suggested to carry out joint work in the fight against child labor exploitation also within the framework of social justice. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi also emphasized the importance of combining efforts in the field of children's rights protection. Satyarthi offered to develop bilateral cooperation, particularly in the context of the manifestation of the idea of social justice, compassion, as well as in the framework of the creation and development of the idea of child-centered communities. Minister Mkrtchyan also emphasized the readiness of cooperation and invited Kailash Satyarthi to Armenia in order to reach a clearer agreement on the planned direction. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, highly appreciating a number of initiatives of Narek Mkrtchyan in globalizing the idea of compassion, awarded the Minister with the High Medal of Gratitude.
On February 23, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan had a meeting with Bhupender Yadav, the Minister of Labor and Employment of India. During the meeting, the parties discussed a number of issues of mutual interest in the field of social protection, particularly regarding the directions of cooperation in the field of work and employment. Minister Mkrtchyan highly appreciated the role of close relations formed with India and in this context emphasized the necessity of developing the regulations to ensure the employment of Indian citizens arriving in Armenia. The Minister emphasized that the introduction of the necessary mechanisms will allow to regulate the flow of labor migration to Armenia and avoid possible future problems. According to Narek Mkrtchyan, the creation of a platform planned jointly with the “National Corporation for Skills Development” will also allow to contribute to the process, on the one hand, it will recruit the labor force of India аnd it will present the available vacancies in Armenia through the Unified Social Service. Bhupender Yadav also, emphasizing the cooperation with Armenia, noted that in recent years, the large influx of Indian citizens to Armenia is really noticeable. The Minister of Labor and Employment of India also confirmed the need to develop joint regulations in the field of labor migration and expressed readiness to carry out joint work in this direction as well. Presenting the works carried out in the field of labor and employment in India, he noted that a national platform of professional services has been created, through which about 4 million job announcements are published daily. According to Yadav, through the platform, employers operating abroad also have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with vacant positions in India and to attract suitable labor for interesting jobs. At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to consider the possibility of signing a joint memorandum in the field of work and employment.
On February 23, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan, had a meeting with Smriti Zubin Irani the Minister of Women and Child Development of India. During the meeting, the possibilities of joint work in the fields of women's issues and children's rights were discussed. Minister Mkrtchyan presented the reforms and programs carried out in the field, detailing the steps taken in the direction of the development of the foster care institute, the implementation of the deinstitutionalization policy. Referring to the work planned in the field of protection of children's rights, the Minister spoke about the necessary steps in the framework of ensuring social justice and offered to cooperate in this direction. Smriti Zubin Irani presented India's experience in the protection of women's and children's rights, as well as women's empowerment. He noted that India also attaches importance to the work aimed at the development of the foster care institute and expressed readiness to present their experience to the Armenian side. The Minister of Women and Child Development of India has also proposed to consider the possibility of cooperation with the Ministry of labor and Social Affairs on the organization of professional courses and development of employee’s skills. At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to develop an appropriate memorandum which will allow clarifying the directions within which cooperation can be developed.
During the visit, the delegation led by Minister Narek Mkrtchyan met with the India Foundation and the Vivekananda International Foundation. The minister's working visit was concluded during a meeting with a number of leading Indian media representatives and independent journalists.

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