Armenia to Extend Refugee Status to Displaced Nagorno-Karabakh Residents
In a gathering on October 26, the Armenian government agreed to establish a temporary protected status for those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this move, explaining that the new status would bolster the protection of their rights in local and international settings.
Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians of Karabakh who fled to Armenia following Azerbaijan's takeover of the territory on September 19-20 are covered under this law. The offensive, which followed a 9-month blockade leading to severe shortages of essential supplies, resulted in the dismantling of the local army, the Artsakh Defense Force, on September 21. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic itself, which had governed the region for three decades, initiated the process of disolution a few days later.
The Armenian authorities are only now addressing the issue of the displaced persons' status.
Eligible for the new temporary protected status are residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, individuals living in Armenia or abroad with a last registered address in Nagorno-Karabakh, and people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh and were registered by the Armenian Migration and Citizenship Service as entering the country after September 19.
Individuals holding citizenship other than Armenia are not eligible, as their protection lies under the jurisdiction of the relevant country.
It remains uncertain whether the new law includes the approximately 20,000 displaced persons who resettled in Armenia after Azerbaijan captured territories in the 2020 Second Karabakh War previously governed by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Refugees from Hadrout, Shusha, and other regions have long sought legal recognition of their position but were denied it after their displacement three years ago.
According to Prime Minister Pashinyan, the other choice for former Karabakh residents is to apply for Armenian citizenship, a statement that has sparked shock and outrage among many Karabakhis who believed they were already citizens, having received Armenian passports since 1999.
Artyom Sujyan, an advisor to the Minister of Justice, explained to CivilNet that the passports were issued under an agreement between the Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as international travel documents. Sujyan stated that the government has consistently maintained its position in various cases, even asserting it in the European Court, that the possession of Armenian passports by Karabakh Armenians does not automatically make them citizens of Armenia.
Karabakh Armenians' passports bear the unique code "070," and they have never been entitled to the political rights of citizens of Armenia such as voting.
The new status grants them the opportunity to apply for full-fledged Armenian citizenship and claim political rights and social benefits, such as a state pension. However, this decision may make them ineligible for the social assistance provided to those registered as refugees.
The temporary protected status has a duration of one year and can be extended through a new decision. Refugee certificates are planned to be issued in January.
Signing the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, Armenia pledges to recognize all persons recognized as refugees within its borders on a global scale.
Artyom Sujyan, the advisor to the justice minister, noted that refugee status holders receive certain advantages and stronger guarantees in other countries, preventing expulsion or deportation from countries offering refuge.
Meanwhile, the Armenian government has set aside one-time financial assistance of 100,000 AMD ($250) for all displaced persons (including children) from Nagorno-Karabakh and 50,000 AMD (around $125) to cover rental fees and utilities. For November and December, a separate program has been endorsed providing additional monthly payments of 40,000 AMD ($100) to all refugees.
- The temporary protected status introduced by the Armenian government is applicable to residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, individuals living in Armenia or abroad with a last registered address in Nagorno-Karabakh, and people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh and were registered by the Armenian Migration and Citizenship Service as entering the country after September 19.
- Individuals holding citizenship other than Armenia are not eligible for the new temporary protected status, as their protection lies under the jurisdiction of the relevant country.
- The new law does not seem to include the approximately 20,000 displaced persons who resettled in Armenia after Azerbaijan captured territories in the 2020 Second Karabakh War previously governed by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
- Karabakh Armenians who are eligible for the temporary protected status have the opportunity to apply for full-fledged Armenian citizenship and claim political rights and social benefits, but this decision may make them ineligible for the social assistance provided to those registered as refugees.
