More than 45,000 people displaced from Karabakh have obtained Armenian citizenship, deputy minister says

More than 53,000 people displaced from Karabakh have applied for Armenian citizenship, and more than 45,000 have already obtained it.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Ghazaryan reported the figures during a briefing with journalists, commenting on a discussion held in the National Assembly on issues concerning people displaced from Karabakh.

“The discussion concerned the problems faced by our compatriots displaced from Karabakh. Representatives of various agencies had been invited, and within the scope of their authority, they addressed the issues raised by our displaced compatriots,” he said.

According to the deputy minister, the issues related to the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs concerned the process of acquiring citizenship.

“We already have more than 53,000 applications for citizenship, and more than 45,000 of our compatriots displaced from Karabakh have already obtained Armenian citizenship,” Ghazaryan said.

He noted that efforts are underway to simplify administrative procedures. The discussion also addressed the issue of missing required documents, particularly birth certificates.

“A citizenship case cannot be initiated without a birth certificate, and this is a logical mechanism provided for by our citizenship legislation. Therefore, we are discussing the issue and looking for solutions,” the deputy minister said.

According to Ghazaryan, a notarial procedure for certifying the fact of birth is already being applied, offering a simpler alternative to court proceedings.

The Ministry of Justice has also initiated a legislative amendment concerning exemption from fees.

“We have cases where people go and have the fact of their birth established by a notary,” he said, emphasizing the importance of informing citizens about this option.

Addressing the time limits for granting citizenship, Ghazaryan stressed that, from the initiation of the administrative proceedings, the period cannot exceed 90 working days.

“If we have cases where this deadline is exceeded, I can assure you that such violations are rare,” he added.

The deputy minister explained that the stage of collecting documents is not considered the commencement of administrative proceedings. According to him, the 90-working-day period begins when the application is submitted and the relevant proceedings are initiated. The proposed solutions are also intended to facilitate the stages preceding the application process, namely, the collection of documents and the establishment of facts.