Citizenship is Not Granted in Exchange for Investment: Arpine Sargsyan on the 'Golden Passport' Initiative

Citizenship cannot be a "quick service available for investment;" it must be based on a real and sustainable connection with the state. This was stated by Armenia's Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan while commenting on the requirement to refrain from granting citizenship in exchange for investments, as stipulated by the European Union's visa liberalization action plan.

The minister emphasized that this is a preventive guideline fully aligned with the reform agenda of Armenia's citizenship institution and does not contradict state programs aimed at enhancing the country's investment attractiveness. "From time to time, the concept of granting citizenship in exchange for investment has been discussed, and these discussions are not new. However, as the responsible party in the sector, my position is clear and principled: citizenship cannot be a quick service available for investment. It is an institution that must be grounded in a real and sustainable connection with the state," stressed Arpine Sargsyan.

According to her, Armenia has not developed schemes for providing 'golden passports,' and the current political directions do not foresee the introduction of such a model. The Minister of Internal Affairs highlighted that this approach does not in any way limit investment policy, as the encouragement of investments and the institution of citizenship are based on different logics and cannot be viewed as interchangeable tools.

"Our political approach is as follows: for investments, we create a stable and open environment, while we preserve citizenship as an institution based on a sustainable and real connection with the state. We are currently developing a package of amendments to the 'Law on Armenian Citizenship', in which we will also move towards stricter measures. This means we are re-evaluating citizenship as an institution," noted the Minister of Internal Affairs.