MP: ARMENIA LOSES ONE OF ITS SECURITY GUARANTEES BY DRAGGING ITS FEET IN DUAL CITIZENSHIP BILL PASSAGE

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 26 2007

YEREVAN, February 26. /ARKA/. Armenia lost one of its security
guarantees by dragging its feet in double citizenship bill passage,
Armen Rustamyan, chairman of National Assembly’s committee on foreign
relations, said Thursday at a press conference.

"Before 2007 dual citizenship was prohibited in the republic, and
this was an absurd thing, because the number of Armenians living
outside is twice greater than that living in Armenia", he said.

In his opinion, not a single country having large communities abroad
can afford such a wastefulness. In his words, 90% of such countries
have already instituted double citizenship right.

Rustamyan said that Armenia has neither gas nor oil and can relate
only on its intellectual resources, which can propel progress in
the country.

Armenian National Assembly approved dual citizenship bill at the
first reading last week.