DEBATES ON DUAL NATIONALITY STARTED
Lragir.am
05.04.2006
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation signals the start of debates
on dual nationality, extending to the public a concept generalizing
its points of view. This was stated by the leader of the ARF faction
Levon Mkrtichyan and the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee
Armen Rustamyan on April. ARF believes that this concept may become
the core of the bill on dual nationality. And since the law is for
everyone, Dashnaktsutiun tried to work out a concept which would not
have a party bias, but would involve the national interest.
Levon Mkrtichyan and Armen Rustamyan say dual nationality is a
serious step, it is a self-defeating issue if it is not thought on
deeply. Solving national problems through dual nationality without
arousing new problems; this is the approach of the ARF representatives
to the issue, and from this point of view they consider their concept
acceptable.
However, the calmness with which Dashnaktsutiun is going to start the
public and political debate will soon fade away. Calmness will pass,
whereas the debate will be heated. The point is that the main troubling
nuances of the issue of dual nationality are not covered sufficiently
in the concept of Dashnaktsutiun. The prime trouble is eligibility.
The ARF believes that those dual citizens will have eligibility
who live permanently in Armenia and will fulfill all the duties of a
citizen. In this case, according to Dashnaktsutiun, nothing can prevent
a person, independent of his nationality, from becoming president of
Armenia. “If a person has lived in Armenia for ten years, fulfilled
all his duties of a citizen, we have no right to take away from them
the right to be elected president.”