After the recent session of government, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan spoke about repatriation with journalists. Upon being asked why the process of repatriation is so difficult, he responded that it’s difficult because there are two problems, one of them having to do with the law. “The laws that are meant to regulate this issue are artificially complicated, which is why there are many delays in the process. And, in my opinion, this was done in the past on purpose to provide opportunities for corruption. So, after someone who wanted citizenship faced many delays, they would have been more likely to have wanted the issue resolved quickly through bribery.”
According to Sinanyan, the second issue is cultural; people view those who want Armenian citizenship in a negative manner. “Our state officials are bureaucrats, is that a secret for you?”
When asked why these issues have not been resolved after the revolution and why there have been no changes in legislation for the process to improve, Sinanyan answered, “In my opinion, it was because the state’s attention and resources were focused on more urgent issues.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted a letter on his Facebook from a repatriate woman. The woman wrote that she faced many issues in her attempt to repatriate and receive dual citizenship. Pashinyan ordered officials to carry out a service investigation and to remove those at fault from their positions.
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Nelly Babayan
