Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Feb 23 2007
Armenia Mulls Citizenship Law Changes
New legislation could dramatically increase number of Armenian
citizens.
By Rita Karapetian in Yerevan (CRS No. 380 23-Feb-07)
A new law granting the right of dual citizenship in Armenia has come
under fire from critics who say they are worried it is open to abuse.
Citizenship in Armenia is a major issue because twice as many
Armenians live outside the country as inside it. The republic’s
population is officially three million people, while more than twice
that number live elsewhere. There are large diaspora communities in
United States, France, Lebanon and elsewhere, mainly descendants of
the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The largest community is in
Russia, formed during the Soviet Union and by large-scale migration
there since 1991.
President Robert Kocharian made a law on dual citizenship one of his
first pledges, before he first took office in 1998. However,
Armenia’s 1995 constitution explicitly ruled out the possibility of
dual citizenship and it was not until 2005 that a referendum was held
that approved constitutional amendments and allowed for a new law to
be adopted.
This week, parliament has been debating amendments to Armenia’s
citizenship law, which will allow under certain conditions for the
first time citizens of other countries to hold Armenian citizenship
as well. The assembly will vote on the draft law on February 26.
The most passionate support for the change has come from the
nationalist Dashnaktsutiun party, which has a strong base outside
Armenia. One of the Dashnak leaders, Hrant Margarian, said dual
citizenship was the first step towards uniting the Armenian people.
Dashnaktsutiun parliamentary leader Hrair Karapetian said it was
important from a moral point of view to accept the principle of dual
citizenship. `Historical justice will be restored regarding the
Armenians, who lost their motherland against their will,’ he said.
Karapetian also argued that dual citizenship would help attract more
diaspora money to Armenia. He said that up to now the diaspora’s
economic potential has not been fully used, because Armenians living
abroad feel offended, thinking that in Armenia they are seen as `milk
cows’ who provide investments but get nothing in return.
The draft law allows citizens of other countries to take up Armenian
citizenship but under certain conditions. If they are male, they are
eligible for military service in Armenia, unless they have already
done in another country.
In parliament, Justice Minister David Harutiunian said that
foreigners seeking to obtain Armenian citizenship would be stripped
of their right to diplomatic protection on Armenian territory, while
businessmen who were dual nationals would no longer benefit from the
privileges enjoyed by foreign investors.
Additionally, a dual citizen of Armenia will enjoy the right to vote
if they are on Armenian territory, but cannot be a candidate for the
presidency or parliament.
Critics of the bill have focused their concerns on the possibility
that a large number of foreigners could suddenly acquire the right to
vote in Armenia, saying this could open up elections to abuse.
Several leading opposition politicians have said they will only
support the new measures if dual citizens are not given the right to
vote.
Armenia is due to hold parliamentary elections in May this year and
presidential elections next year.
Suren Sureniants of the opposition Republic party said that including
foreign Armenians in voter registers would make it easier to
manipulate electoral lists, which he said already contain the names
of thousands of dead people.
Sureniants called the plans `absolutely unacceptable both politically
and morally, and even from the viewpoint of the country’s national
interests’. `People from countries with opposing interests [to ours]
could become dual nationals and make Armenia the setting for the
collision of these interests,’ he told IWPR.
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian rejected the accusations, saying
that the number of dual citizens who would actually vote would be
small.
Two American Armenians told IWPR that they were hurt by the
implication that dual citizens could pose a threat to their historic
homeland.
Nairi Balanian from Philadelphia told IWPR that she would abide by
all citizenship regulations and her son would be ready to serve in
the army. `I will travel to Armenia to vote, I will pay taxes for
Armenia,’ she said.
Asbet Balanian, also from Philadelphia, said, `I find the official
position of the Armenian Republic very offensive when they classify
overseas Armenians as `odar’ (`foreigner’ in Armenian). I am no less
Armenian than an Armenian who was born in Armenia. I am even better
than many Armenians who migrated from Armenia, to countries of the
world and lost their Armenian identity and became real odars.’
Balanian said that diaspora Armenians should have analogous rights to
Jews, who have the right to go and settle in Israel and receive
citizenship – so long as they paid taxes and obeyed the laws of the
country.
To the charge that the new law would put the fate of Armenia in the
hands of foreigners, Margarian countered that Armenians abroad
already wielded strong influence over the economy of the country. `If
we think that way, we should pull down an iron curtain and not allow
our compatriots to work in Armenia,’ he said.
Rita Karapetian is a correspondent with Noyan Topan news agency. IWPR
Armenia editor Seda Muradyan also contributed to this article.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress