ONLY 54 OF 191 UN MEMBERS ADOPTED DUAL NATIONALITY

Lragir.am
24 June 06

The Committee of External Relations held hearings on the topic
"Dual Nationality. International Law and Experience", inviting the
representatives of political parties. Armen Rustamyan, Chair of the
Committee of External Relations, announced in the beginning that the
aim of the hearings is to elucidate the conception of dual nationality
worked out by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

Levon Mkrtichan, the minister of education and culture, introduced
the conception. According to Levon Mkrtichyan, the adoption of dual
nationality will solve the problem of the right of the Armenians to
live and create in their motherland. "The goal of all Armenians will
be contained in the law." However, it is necessary to observe justice,
equal rights, prevention of discrimination and iravachaputiun. Levon
Mkrtichyan noticed that the rights and duties of dual nationals,
namely eligibility and military service are regulated by international
conventions.

The head of the Constitutional Court of Armenia Gagik Harutiunyan,
who made a speech immediately after Levon Mkrtichyan, reminded that
there are about ten international conventions on dual nationality,
but Armenia has not joined any of them. Only 54 of the 191 members
of the United Nations adopted dual nationality. Some of these 54
countries adopted only elements of dual nationality. "In Armenia
debates on dual nationality are one-sided, and make a fetish out
of the institution of dual nationality." By the way, concerns about
dual nationality are expressed in international conventions, and a
convention adopted in 1963 is entitled "Convention on the Reduction
of Cases of Multiple Nationality and Military Obligations in Cases
of Multiple Nationality". The goal of this convention was to reduce
dual nationality.

The head of the Constitutional Court thinks that along with debates
on dual nationality in Armenia pseudo-terms such as a passive
citizen, a citizen with rights but no duties are increasingly
being used. Moreover, Gagik Harutiunyan says, "It is very wrong,
romantic and ingenuous to think that thanks to adoption of dual
nationality millions of dollars will be annually flowing into
the state budget." Especially that presently we lack a conception
of Armenia-Diaspora relations. Gagik Harutiunyan thinks thus the
question is distorted, therefore the question of dual nationality
cannot be viewed from the economic aspect. And the countries with a
smaller population than the potential dual citizens "should forget
about dual nationality and independence at all."

Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and others who support
dual nationality, namely Paruyr Hairikyan, National Self-Determination
Union, Communist Frunzeh Kharatyan, Shirak Torosyan, the Hzor Hayrenik
Party, admit that the United States, Russia and Holland are on the
path of restriction of dual nationality, and that the adoption of dual
nationality contains threats. They note, however, that everything
can be regulated by the law. In answer to the remark whether "it is
better not to establish a threat and not to adopt dual nationality",
Armen Rustamyan, ARF, said, "Hence, if you have a headache, you’d
netter not have a head." Paruyr Hairikyan thinks dual nationality
will save all the Armenians who refuse citizenship of Armenia and
become citizens of other countries.

The All-Armenian Movement and the Ramkavar Party are for improving
relations with the Diaspora for Armenians to live with dignity
everywhere, preserve their language, writing, religion, remain
Armenian, direct the potential of the Armenian gene towards Armenia
and change the attitude towards the Diaspora. The ways to reach this
is another issue. In this way dual nationality will not solve these
problems, thinks Hovanes Igityan, All-Armenian Movement.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress