An initiative introduced by the Armenian government to stop the reduction in numbers of its citizenry was the law of dual citizenship. The law which came into effect in 2008 ensured that while large numbers of Armenians continued to leave the country in search of a better life, they did not need to relinquish their Armenian citizenship in order to attain a new nationality and passport. At the same time the law allowed those Armenians whose forebears had escaped the Armenian Genocide and made a new life in a foreign land to become Armenian citizens while retaining the passports of their host country.
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What the Hell!?!!?! How tragic!! Did he ever find his mother??? What a story! What heartbreak his mother must have suffered seeing her children run Away from Her. Any investigation as to what happened to her?
I’m quite certain there are more than 10 million people, worldwide, with a significant amount of Armenian ancestry. Census takers, in the USA, don’t make an effort to help people identify themselves, by their ancestral origins, unless there is some minority group affiliation with special interest groups that lobby on their behalf. African Americans, Hispanic Peoples, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and other similar groups, must identify themselves more specifically, but Armenians, and many other Caucasian ethnic groups aren’t encouraged to itemize their ancestral national origins.
As for myself, my maternal side is Armenian, and my paternal side is Swiss=German. For most of my life, as a half blooded Armenian, I’ve identified myself as a member of the worldwide Armenian Diaspora; however, because of the lax work of census takers, this information was submerged and unavailable until the last census visit, when I actually had to go out of my way to explain my situation, so that the census taker could enter it correctly.
Many full blooded Armenian Americans, as well as half blooded Armenians like myself, are invisible to researchers whom compile statistics about the total population of Armenians, around the world. Many people with significant Armenian ancestry in the international community are invisible to research professionals whom compile these statistics.
I agree with the author but has he considered the fact that some Armenians may pose a national security risk for the Republic of Armenia? After-all it is not an easy or cheap process to do a full background check on all applicants wishing to attain Armenian citizenship. Armenia is still technically at war and can not sacrifice its national security.
I personally was beyond joy when I received my Armenian citizenship along with my 2 brothers and parents. As the great Monte Melkonian once said: “There exists no Armenian ‘race.’ There is only an Armenian people, an Armenian nation. This is why we need to fight. The Armenian people in the diaspora are losing their identity as a cultural-national entity, succumbing to the centrifugal effects of cultural assimilation. If Armenians of the diaspora do not claim their right to live in their homeland they will gradually lose their common cultural identity. And if this happens, the white massacre of our nation will have succeeded.”