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BAKU: `Echo': What Do We Need Armenian Citizens For?

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  • BAKU: `Echo': What Do We Need Armenian Citizens For?

    Democratic Azerbaijan
    Oct 14 2006

    `Echo': What Do We Need Armenian Citizens For?
    14.10.2006


    Baku warns Yerevan against Issue of Armenian Passports for
    Azerbaijani Citizens, Living on Occupied Territories
    `Issue of Armenian passports for separatists of Nagorni Garabagh may
    be evaluated as illegal issue of national documents of Armenia for
    citizens of Azerbaijan or as a fact of recognition of Nagorni
    Garabagh as state on the part of Yerevan'. Both contradict to peace
    process agreements'. Chief of Information Policy Administration and
    press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Tair
    Tagizade, stated it for `Echo' on commenting probability of mass
    issue of passports by Armenia for citizens of our country, living on
    occupied territories. Accordingly to him, anyway taking into account
    absence of law on dual citizenship in Armenia, - `these people
    remains to be our citizens'.
    It should be reminded that early December this year, separatists of
    Nagorni Garabagh scheduled to hold referendum on adoption of
    Constitution of non-recognized regime. Within the scope of discussion
    of the fundamental law project, as Armenian mass media informed,
    discussions were held on adoption of law on citizenship of separatist
    regime. At the same time, the so-called `law' envisages principle of
    dual citizenship that people living on occupied territories of
    Azerbaijan can `freely obtain Armenian passports'.
    Armenian mass media make clear that separatists will have passports
    of Armenia without law, `however, this business needs some
    arrangement'. Thus one cannot exclude that issue of national
    passports of Armenia for people on occupied territories will be of
    mass nature. And it is not the first case when separatists in
    different regions of the world obtain passports of other states. For
    example, Russian Federation issues its documents for separatists of
    Georgia and Moldova, thus causing protests of officials of these
    states.
    In turn, chief of administration of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
    Azerbaijan, T. Tagizade, informs that first of all OSCE Minsk Group
    co-chairs should have responded to issue of passports for
    separatists. `Such steps can be characterized any way one likes, but
    they cannot be called constructive movement on the way of achievement
    of acceptable regulation of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorni-Garabagh
    conflict', T. Tagizade stresses. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    underlines that today the crucial question for Azerbaijan is who of
    persons living on occupied territories are citizens of Azerbaijan and
    who are not. `As there are people on occupied territories, who came
    there after beginning of conflict, what means that they cannot be
    citizens of Azerbaijan', representative of home Foreign Affairs
    Ministry said.
    Milli Mejlis deputy representing ruling party and member of standing
    commission on state security and defense, Aydin Mirzazade, responded
    to Armenian initiative more rigidly. Accordingly to him, currently
    considerable flow-out of Armenian citizens from the country is
    observed, connected with poor economic situation in the country.
    `With such developments, the number of people living in Armenia will
    be less than that of Russian soldiers serving for military base in
    Gumri', deputy said. He holds that it is not strange that official
    Yerevan authorities are attempting to rehabilitate by starting the
    game of dual citizenship; they hope to get new citizens-Armenians to
    the country. At the same time deputy reminds that Armenian leadership
    and different nationalistic groups in Yerevan failed to realize the
    project on international recognition of separatist regime in Nagorni
    Garabagh. `No doubt it restricts foreign trips of representatives of
    Armenian community of Garabagh to a considerable degree', deputy
    holds. In this connection Armenian part rapidly starts dual
    citizenship process attempting to provide 50000 representatives of
    Armenian diaspora of Nagorni Garabagh with any kind of legal
    document.
    `But with the first departure to foreign country they don't want to
    return either to occupied territories or to Armenia, wishing to
    escape police regime', deputy said. In addition, Milli Mejlis deputy
    reminds that there is no law on dual citizenship in Armenia. `Any
    citizen of Azerbaijan becoming citizen of other state, automatically
    forfeits ours', Mirzazade stresses. Thus, in case separatists are
    granted citizenship of Armenia, then, accordingly to Milli Mejlis
    deputy, `it won't affect occupied territories, which remain to be
    sovereign territories of Azerbaijan', deputy emphasizes. At the same
    time our country currently seeks liberation of occupied territories.
    Mirzazade specially underlines that Armenian citizenship is not
    prestigious, `everyone understands that sooner or later these
    territories will be returned to Azerbaijan'.
    `People living on occupied territories will prefer successful
    Azerbaijan to backward Armenia', Milli Mejlis deputy is convinced. He
    stresses that even now living standard of Azerbaijan is higher than
    in Armenia, `and what will be observed in some years?!'.
    As for possible statements that from this date (after issue of
    passports (author's remark) Yerevan will protect rights of its
    citizens on occupied territories of Azerbaijan, deputy stresses that
    such position will cause misunderstanding: `And what citizens of
    Armenia are doing on our territories? We have no diplomatic
    relations!'. Accordingly to him, after acquiring citizenship of
    Armenia, people living on occupied territories, will turn to be under
    jurisdiction of Armenia which has clear frontiers and they
    (separatists - author's remark) will have nothing to do on our
    territories, as such illegal form of residence in Azerbaijan will be
    punished.
    Political scientist and head of center on political innovations and
    technologies, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, sees similar tendencies on obtaining
    of Russian passports by people living in provinces of neighbor
    Georgia in Armenian wish to issue passports for Armenians living on
    occupied Azerbaijani territories. `All separatists understand very
    well that they will fail to get international recognition', head of
    center says. Political scientist holds that separatists are
    attempting to join with other states. At the same time, he points
    that political authority of Armenia and Russia at international level
    is incomparable. Unlike Yerevan, the Kremlin is strong player
    strongly affecting international processes. `That is, expectation of
    threats of Armenian acts is not worthless', political scientist
    stresses. He also reminds that, Baku never took separatists of
    Nagorni Garabagh as separate object. `These territories are occupied
    by Armenia, so there is nothing astonishing in Yerevan's new game',
    he added. In given situation the issue of Armenian citizenship has no
    importance. `As even now considerable part of separatists have
    Armenian passports and actively use them while departing abroad',
    political scientist informs. Accordingly to Ahmadoglu, steps of
    Armenia should be taken as psychological game to which Baku will
    attach no importance. On the contrary with the use of such facts,
    Azerbaijan can draw attention of world community to annexationist
    goals of Armenia.

    S. Rzayev, N. Aliyev


    http://www.demaz.org/cgi-bin/e-cms/vis/vis.pl?s=0 01&p=0056&n=001034&g
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