Artsakh citizenship issue tied to return prospect – Ombudsman

YEREVAN, 29 November. /ARKA/. The issue of whether or not residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) receive Armenian citizenship is also directly related to the prospect and right to return to their homeland, said Gegham Stepanyan, a human rights defender in Artsakh.

‘This should be taken very seriously, because while talking to people on a daily basis, I have come to the conclusion that the loss of the right to possible return is one of the main problems, which, unfortunately, has not yet received the attention it deserves,’ Stepanyan noted in parliament on Friday during a discussion on Armenian citizenship for displaced persons from Artsakh.

According to him, discussions were held with a number of international law experts, and it was generally concluded that obtaining citizenship does not cancel the right to return.

‘From a legal point of view, what matters is not whether a person obtains citizenship of another country or refugee status, but their real connection with their home country or homeland. Even if he or she was born elsewhere and is arriving in the home country for the first time. In a word, the right exists regardless of whether a person has acquired citizenship of another country after forced resettlement or remains a refugee,’ Stepanyan explained.

Stepanyan noted that the ignoring of this issue by the Armenian authorities, as well as the introduction of requirements to obtain citizenship or even forcing them to obtain it through various social programmes, causes people to fear that efforts are being made to close the issue of their return to Artsakh.

‘If these issues were dealt with properly, such problems would not arise. It is necessary to create a clear framework that will instil real confidence in the displaced residents of Artsakh that obtaining citizenship will not deprive them of the right to return,’ Stepanyan said.

On Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing in Artsakh

On 19-20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale aggression against Artsakh, using artillery, UAVs and combat aviation. On 28 September, after negotiations with the Azerbaijani side, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan issued a decree on dissolution of all state institutions of the republic and termination of the existence of the Republic of Artsakh from 1 January 2024.