Mobility between Poland and the South Caucasus within the scope of historical ties and current policies
Mobility between Poland and the South Caucasus within the scope of historical ties and current policies

Summary/Abstract: Introduction: Poland has been facing increasing migration flows from the region of the South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, which might be regarded as surprising since the countries are not geographically proximate; something which constitutes one of the factors for motivation to migrate in migration studies. Most of the literature in the field explores migrants coming from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia who outnumber those from South Caucasus, constituting the majority of non-EU citizens in Poland. Therefore, by focusing on flows from the close, eastern neighboring countries in Poland, the evidence overlooks the mobility between Poland and its further eastern neighbors (e.g. the region of the South Caucasus), which have also relied on long-term historical relationships. Objectives: That said, the overarching objective of this paper is to shed some light on the mobility between the South Caucasus and Poland and to attempt to demonstrate that the current increasing migration flows from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to Poland can in no way be regarded as a coincidence. This is implemented on the nexus of two perspectives: 1) the historical background of the relationships between Poland and the countries in the South Caucasus accompanied by culturally, politically, and socially motivated mobility that might serve as a ground for continued flows between the two, and 2) the current migration flows from the South Caucasus to Poland in the light of existing policies based on some available, yet limited, data. It is important to explore the mobility between Poland and the South Caucasus, considering the growing interest of migration to Poland from the countries in the region, and the shared historical background. However, given the lack of studies concerning the subject in the field, this paper serves rather as a limited but as comprehensive as possible source of literature review which will touch upon the matter both on the nexus of history and present times. For more reliable data, particularly on current trends of migration from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, different sources can be referred to, such as EUROSTAT and Officer for Foreigners of Poland.Conclusion: As a result of the literature review, it becomes evident that mobility between Poland and the region of the South Caucasus goes back to the period before the Russian Empire ruled the region, driven mostly by trade exchanges, missionary visits, and political exiles. This, in fact, demonstrates that despite the lack of geographical proximity, the countries share a more common history, also driven by mobility, than one might assume, which posits solid ground for migration flows that have evolved between them. In addition, currently observed, increasing migration flows from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are more driven by easier access to the Polish labor market, which was founded on the policies to attract the workforce, along with other reasons. Moreover, the literature review demonstrates that some of the migration flows are also not coincidental, but due to previously established communities, such as that of Armenians who are considered as ethnic minorities in Poland.

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