YEREVAN (Armenpress)—More than 21,000 people applied for and acquired Armenian citizenship in 2013, the head of Armenia’s Police Department for Passports and Visas, Norayr Muradkhanian, reported. A significant proportion of those who applied were foreign citizens – most commonly French, Russian, American, and Georgian – who were of Armenian descent.
Any person of Armenian descent can acquire Armenian citizenship. Furthermore, anyone, regardless of heritage, can acquire Armenian citizenship with three years of permanent residence in Armenia and basic knowledge about the Armenian Constitution.
Muradkhanian says that so far, the numbers in 2014 look to be outdoing the previous year’s numbers by a wide margin.
Muradkhanian elaborated that 82,383 applications for ID cards and 20,279 for biometric passports have been registered in January-February of the current year. In addition, the police colonel emphasized: “The main part of the applicants’ passports are still valid, but despite this our compatriots want to get biometric passports.”
“anyone, regardless of heritage, can acquire Armenian citizenship with three years of permanent residence in Armenia and basic knowledge about the Armenian Constitution.” Why is this the case? Armenia should be for Armenians given our unique history and the tragedies we’ve been through.
I wouldn’t worry Krikor. Read between the lines and it seems clear Armenia operates a rather racist policy for granting citizenship. We are told that “More than 21,000 people applied for AND ACQUIRED Armenian citizenship in 2013”. We are also told that “A significant proportion of those who APPLIED were foreign citizens who were of Armenian descent”. So, either the majority of those 21,000 people who acquired Armenian citizenship were foreign citizens without Armenian ancestry, or that a far far greater number than 21,000 people applied for Armenian citizenship, with the vast majority of those applicants being persons with no Armenian ancestry, but that almost all of those who ended up being given citizenship were people with Armenian ancestry. I think the latter is far more likely. While just living in a country for many years should never be seen as an automatic right to citizenship, Armenian risks becoming an intolerant monocultural backwater where the sight of even a single foreign-looking face on the street (and god forbid if it is a black face) is seen by extremists as a sign of some sort of imminant collapse of the nation.
In addition, the police colonel emphasized: “The main part of the applicants’ passports are still valid, but despite this our compatriots want to get biometric passports.”
Well of course, you can’t be seen around the world with the an old fashion paper passport. It won’t go well with your latest IPhone or Dolce Gabbana shoes…..shallow shallow people.
Let this be a nice rebuke to the doom and gloom types within Armenian society.
Hratch, what are you talking about?? Everywhere where biometric passports are new, people are trying to renew their passports. It’s obvious that it’s better to get it if you can. Has nothing to do with shallowness of people. You think they don’t do it in other countries?? Please, do something useful with your life than accuse your own people.