We have a service that Armenian citizens who are banned from entering Russia apply to us, and we collect and forward to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of Russia the petitions requesting a review of that ban; they are reviewed in some cases, and not—in others. Armen Ghazaryan, the Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of Armenia, told this to reporters at the National Assembly Monday.

But he could not respond when asked how many Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) citizens left Armenia and how many off them applied for Armenian citizenship.

To the question, if Artsakh citizens become citizens of Armenia, will they continue to benefit from the six-month support program by the Armenian government, Ghazaryan answered: "In each case, the government defines the scope of beneficiaries of the social assistance program. If the government determines within the given framework that regardless of whether a person has received [Armenian] citizenship or not, he definitely will benefit from the given social program due to the fact of forced displacement, then he will certainly benefit. At the moment, the government's decision notes only on the basis of the fact of forced deportation; no separation is made in terms of legal status."

Also, he announced that after receiving the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, those Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh can apply also to international organizations to receive compensation for their property and return to their homes.

"The rights you mentioned are rights inextricably linked to the person and are not related to the legal status, to the events that happened, regardless of what the legal status of the person is," emphasized Armen Ghazaryan.