Presidential aide urges Garabagh’s ethnic Armenians to seek Azerbaijani citizenship

From a legal point of view, Armenians, born in the Karabakh region, are citizens of Azerbaijan. However, during the occupation of the Karabakh region by Armenia, Yerevan pursued a policy of annexation and issued illegal passports to almost all Armenian residents of the region.

Report informs, TRT World was told by Assistant to the Azerbaijani President - Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev.

According to him, the Armenian residents of Karabakh should apply for Azerbaijani citizenship. It also means that they recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and laws.

The presidential aide noted that Azerbaijan would ensure the linguistic, cultural, religious, and municipal rights of the Karabakh Armenians.

Hikmat Hajiyev stressed that Azerbaijan is a member of various international conventions, including the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) of the Council of Europe:

“Within the framework of such conventions, we are ready to ensure the individual rights of the Armenian residents of the Karabakh region.”