Karabakh draw up citizenship bill

Karabakh draw up citizenship bill

Mediamax news agency
5 Feb 05

YEREVAN

The foreign minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR), Arman
Melikyan, said today that a draft law on NKR citizenship has been
drawn up at the initiative and with the immediate participation of the
NKR Foreign Ministry.

Speaking about the main provisions of the draft law, Melikyan said
that NKR citizens should have the right to dual citizenship, Mediamax
new agency reports. He pointed out that the law will defend all NKR
citizens regardless of their origin, racial and ethnic affiliation.

“NKR citizenship will be given to people who were born in the areas
that were incorporated into the NKR – Shaumyan District, Getashen and
the Nagornyy Karabakh Autonomous Region,” the minister pointed out.

“There is no longer Soviet Azerbaijan, but there are two states that
were established after the Azerbaijani SSR – the Azerbaijani Republic
and the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic,” Melikyan said.

He said that the NKR must assume responsibility for the fate of
Armenians who were born, lived and then were expelled from
Azerbaijan. The draft law also envisages the granting of citizenship
to people of this category, which will make it possible to protect
their rights fully.