Armenia plans to auction off its first new biometric passport, numbered 0000001, with the redesigned passports set to be issued from November. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the decision during Thursday’s government session, as his cabinet discussed approving the new procedure for obtaining the passports.

The design of the new passports was unveiled in late April. Their introduction has prompted controversy — mainly over what critics claim is a deliberate choice to exclude Mount Aratat from one image and that those born in Nagorno-Karabakh will all have Azerbaijan listed as their place of birth. In the old passports, there was an inconsistent style, with people born in the same settlement receiving different birthplace designations — including Azerbaijan, Armenia or simply the name of their town or village.

Ahead of issuing new passports, the authorities appear to launch an offline campaign, with statues of the new passport being installed in Yerevan’s Republic Square, along with similar posters displayed in the city.

On Thursday, Pashinyan himself raised the question of who should receive the passport bearing the number 0000001.

‘You know that in our society, there is a particular fascination with numbers. For example, there is a passport with the number 0000001. So the question is: who will get that passport?’, Pashinyan said, adding that the government had decided it would be issued for an additional fee.

However, the government appeared undecided about whether to offer the passport at a fixed price or through an auction.

‘I don’t know whether it will be through an auction or […] no, at a fixed price’, Pashinyan said after Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan suggested there will be a fixed price. He stressed that the price should be very high.

After other government members pointed out what would happen if several people might be willing to pay the asking price, Pashinyan suggested that the government could adjust its approach to meet demand.

‘If there will be a long queue, why not take advantage of the opportunity’, Pashinyan said, implying that they could hold an auction.

The proceeds would be reinvested in the passport system, Pashinyan said, adding that the government should adopt this approach more broadly.

‘Generally, we should apply this approach wherever possible, because it is ultimately a source of revenue. Anything that attracts interest has value, and anything that has value represents a source of revenue. Therefore, we should generate that revenue for the Republic of Armenia or its infrastructure’, Pashinyan concluded.