Karabakh Armenians reject Armenian citizenship: fears and expectations
Armenian citizenship: Fears of Karabakh Armenians
To secure employment and access state support programs, refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are required to accept Armenian citizenship. However, the majority have yet to complete the necessary paperwork. As of early October, only three percent of refugees had obtained Armenian citizenship. Many fear that by doing so, they may lose the right to return to their homeland and the property they left behind.
Meanwhile, international law expert Ara Khzmalyan reassures that “from an international law perspective, this will have no impact.”
As of October 10, 3,431 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh had received Armenian citizenship, according to the press office of the Migration Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
By October 7, 2023, a total of 100,632 displaced people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. Considering that thousands of Karabakh Armenians were already in Armenia prior to this, the government’s assistance programs are designed to accommodate a larger number of people. Notably, a housing program for refugees is expected to cover approximately 25,000 families.
As of October 14, 2023, there were reportedly fewer than 40 residents left in the region, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained, according to Karabakh human rights defenders.
Alvard Grigoryan, a correspondent for Caucasian Knot, shares the stories of Karabakh Armenians who have resettled in Armenia. The article is published with minor edits.
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Refugee support programs: Financial aid and housing certificates
According to the Migration Service, 5,409 refugees have applied for Armenian citizenship.
“On average, between 50 and 80 applications for citizenship are submitted daily. By law, the process typically takes around 90 business days. However, for displaced persons from Karabakh, this period has been reduced to two months,” a press service representative reported on October 13.
Displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh currently residing in Armenia are under temporary protection, which grants them a status equivalent to refugees. This protection is valid for one year and will be extended into 2025.
The Migration Service also reminds that various state assistance programs are available for Karabakh refugees.
Among them is the “40+10” program, which provides each refugee with 40,000 drams for housing rent and an additional 10,000 drams for utilities. This program has been in place since last year and does not require the acceptance of Armenian citizenship.
There is also a state program that provides housing certificates. One such program offers certificates worth 10 million drams (approximately $26,000), issued to families of displaced persons from certain regions of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. Another assistance program offers 3.4 million drams (approximately $8,831) or 5 million drams (approximately $13,000) to each family member of a refugee. However, to qualify for this aid, refugees must obtain Armenian citizenship.
More than 960 refugees have applied for financial assistance, and around 30 families have received certificates to purchase an apartment. Applications for the 10 million dram housing certificate have been submitted by 3,946 families, and 3,025 families have already received them.
The Migration Service reports that the “40+10” program will conclude in December of this year for individuals of working age. From January 2025, only those under 18, people with disabilities, and retirees will be eligible for this assistance.
In the first half of this year, 17,000 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh found employment in Armenia, and over 1,000 individual entrepreneurs were registered, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia.
Some prefer to pay more for housing to ensure their children receive a good education
Anuta Poghosyan, a mother of several children, lives in a rented apartment in Yerevan. The family does not move to other regions of Armenia, where the cost of living is lower than in the capital, because her children attend specialized schools and colleges.
“Education is something that cannot be taken from us. That’s why my husband and I take on any side jobs we can find to educate our children. It doesn’t matter to us now that we can’t buy extra clothes or have a full meal every day. We are thinking about the future of our children,” she said.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, they left behind all their property and a small business.
“We never thought or wanted to live anywhere else. Even during the blockade, we believed that if we could just get through it, the Azerbaijanis would leave us alone. Many families felt the same way—those who returned after the 2020 evacuation, trusting in the Russian peacekeepers. But in Armenia, besides the social and living difficulties, we are faced with psychological and moral humiliations. For example, waiting in long lines to register as refugees. Or the mandatory condition of accepting citizenship.
We don’t want Armenian citizenship because we want to return home. We are hesitant because it’s suspicious that they are so persistent in wanting to take away our passports and issue new ones without our Stepanakert registration. And we also fear that after obtaining Armenian citizenship, we may not be allowed to go back, as we would then be considered Armenian citizens,” Anuta Poghosyan explained.
Many struggle to find work
Armida Mirzoyan’s family is large: she lives with her husband, children, grandchildren, and father-in-law. Together, they rent a house in one of the villages in the Kotayk region of Armenia. She explains that both her grandson and father-in-law have disabilities, and more than half of her son’s earnings go toward their medication and medical care:
“As refugees, we do receive some benefits, including free medical care, and the clinic provides certain medications. But there are many things we have to pay for out of pocket because they aren’t covered under the services provided.”
Her husband has been unable to find work because employers are reluctant to hire a man over 50, especially one who has suffered a heart attack:
“We decided to rent one house together so we could use the government assistance we receive to pay the rent. The conditions aren’t great, but we have no other option, as it’s hard to find a job with a stable income.
We dream of returning to Artsakh, to our home in Martakert, but only if conditions are as they were before, or if there are concrete international guarantees. That’s why we’re not rushing to accept Armenian citizenship—we want to keep our passports, which include the address of our home. These passports match our documents of ownership for property in Nagorno-Karabakh,” she said.
Some have accepted Armenian citizenship and found employment
Twenty-four-year-old Arut Poghosyan has accepted Armenian citizenship and has also secured a job at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He says he has spent his whole life working in law enforcement and cannot imagine himself in any other field.
“I don’t think that by accepting Armenian citizenship I will lose my rights. That would contradict all laws and conventions. But I don’t rule anything out either. After all, no one thought that in the 21st century, genocide or ethnic cleansing of a small country by several larger nations would be possible,” he said.
He is also not concerned about losing his property. In the event of a return, he is prepared to build a new home:
“We’ve lost more important things. We must fight for our return and reclaim ownership of what we lost. All refugees want to return, but only to an Armenian Artsakh. And it must come with real international guarantees and respect for the principle of self-determination,” Arut stated.
He added that while the “40+10” program is in effect, his family is not facing financial difficulties in Yerevan. However, starting in January, his salary will no longer be enough to cover rent and living expenses:
“We don’t have any retirees or people with disabilities in our family. We have two adult children who are students. I don’t want to force my wife and kids to take on side jobs. I sincerely hope the program will continue. After all, if you think about it, the rent money is going into the pockets of Yerevan residents, so the government would essentially be taking income away from its own citizens.”
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan launched large-scale military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. A ceasefire agreement was reached on September 20, 2023. On January 1, 2024, the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ceased to exist, following a decree by its last president, Samvel Shahramanyan.
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Armenian citizenship: Fears of Karabakh Armenians
