YEREVAN. - Head of the Passport and Visa department of Armenian Police Hovhannes Kocharyan has responded to the application submitted by presidential candidate Arman Melikyan.

“In response to my inquiry, it was noted that 28,859 people received Armenian citizenship in the period from 2007 to January 16, 2013. The document also said 2879 people gave up their citizenship in the period from 2008 to December 30, 2012,” Melikyan said at a press conference this Tuesday.

According to him, it is certainly a progressive step on the part of the authorities, but this is not enough, because the problem of thousands of people have been left unresolved. Melikyan also assured that by 2010, about 1 million 300 thousand people left Armenia, and after 2010 - another 200 thousand.

“One million out of 1.5 million people, who left the country, have the right to vote. This means that, at best, in Armenia, to date there are 1.5 million people having voting right. We expect that the government should respond to this fact,” Melikyan said.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/ NEWS.am