Aren Hayrapetyan to Renounce Armenian Citizenship After Birthplace Listed as Azerbaijan in Passport
Aren Hayrapetyan, forcibly displaced from Artsakh, has received citizenship of the Republic of Armenia but now wishes to renounce this passport because his birthplace is listed as “Azerbaijan.”
He says he was born, raised, and lived his entire life in Stepanakert, so why is Azerbaijan indicated? It should be noted that not all forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh who received Armenian citizenship have their birthplace listed as Azerbaijan in their passports.
“I accepted citizenship, and it says Azerbaijan. There was the USSR, Karabakh was part of that composition and was the NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast). When receiving the passport, I asked about this, and they said ‘that’s how it is.’ Now I haven’t participated in the oath ceremony. Why should I take an oath for an Azerbaijani passport? Should I say ‘I swear to be a citizen of Armenia’ but with an Azerbaijani passport?” he notes.
Our interviewee says that he accepted citizenship in order to benefit from the housing provision program, as he is a father of five children. From his family, he and his wife accepted citizenship. According to him, he was told that if they became Armenian citizens, their children would automatically become citizens, and he would be able to use this program.
It’s noticeable that there is an issue with proper awareness, and today he already considers himself deceived.
“At first they said that if the parents become citizens, the children will ‘automatically’ become citizens, we’ll receive the certificate, and I naively and happily went and took this Azerbaijani passport, but then they said no—the children must also receive citizenship. Why are you deceiving us? You say large families are without waiting in line, I am from a large family, give it to me,” he says.
