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Michael Mensoian

Michael Mensoian

Michael Mensoian, J.D./Ph.D, is professor emeritus in Middle East and political geography at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a retired major in the U.S. army. He writes regularly for the Armenian Weekly.

6 Comments

  1. Very interesting article and reminded me that my husband Carnig Zeytoonian also held dual citizenship as a first generation Armenian American. He was born and raised in Watertown, Mass. to Marashtzi parents. Carnig was also the Chair for Wheelchairs for Armenia via the Wheelchair Foundation of America. He successfully organized and processed shipments of wheelchairs to Armenia for the children in the orphanages. He loved the motherland with all his heart and worked hard for them. God Bless his memory – He passed on December 18, 2010 in Racine, Wisconsin.

  3. As a 4th-generation American-Armenian I received my Armenian Passport in 2000 and have not renewed it. Dr. Mensoian’s article has moved me to renew it or reapply for a new one.

  4. Do you have to necessarily be baptized or be Christian to obtain citizenship? Can a non-Christian Armenian still obtain citizenship? I am shocked to see a certificate of baptism to prove Armenian ancestry as a requirement for Armenian citizenship as that is very shameful.

  5. I don’t know why it would necessarily be shameful for a non-believing Armenian to have a certificate of baptism. Where infant baptism is concerned, the Church can only pray that the child will continue on in the faith. As far as the State requiring the certificate, I would think it very wrong-headed if there is no other way to prove ancestry. Usually in such cases an affidavit will suffice. Many, many bona fide Armenians will have lost their certificates of baptism AND birth certificates, along with the parents who were custodians of them. Just think of all the fees the passport office will miss out on if there are no alternatives. Personally, I would be equally satisfied with my name on a plaque in some public place in Yerevan, as US communities often sell to raise funds.

  6. Your article brought back so many memories of my parents and how they finally settled in a small town in Massachusetts. My mother suffered the trauma of the Turkish Genocide all her adult life. At age 89 duel citizenship is not an option I would pursue but your article was extremely enlightening. Many thanks.

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