A 070 Code Passport Granted to Armen Grigoryan in Artsakh Surfaces, Leading to His Appointment as Secretary of the Security Council

Considering the forced migration of Armenians from Artsakh in September 2023 and the new realities that have arisen as a result, particularly the policy of not recognizing the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh as citizens of the Republic of Armenia, 070 code passports are not considered citizenship passports but rather travel documents. In this context, Yerkir.am submitted an inquiry to the Office of the National Security Council of Armenia to determine whether Armen Grigoryan, born and raised in Artsakh and registered in the Republic of Artsakh, underwent the same legal process currently imposed on the Armenian community in Artsakh. Specifically, does Armen Grigoryan hold Armenian citizenship, and if so, when did he obtain it, and from which passport authority did he receive his citizenship passport?

The Office of the National Security Council responded in writing, confirming that Armen Grigoryan possesses Armenian citizenship and holds an Armenian citizenship passport, which he received on March 5, 2018. However, the office skillfully avoided answering one of our crucial questions regarding the authority from which Armen Grigoryan received his citizenship passport.

Yerkir.am has in its possession the passport received by Armen Grigoryan on March 5, 2018, which he obtained from Artsakh, noted with the 070 code. The registered address listed in this passport corresponds to a residence on Ulubabyan Street in the city of Martuni, Republic of Artsakh (registration date: March 30, 2001).

The website notes that Armen Grigoryan was appointed Secretary of the National Security Council by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 17, 2018, using the aforementioned 070 code passport. Three months after his appointment as Secretary of the National Security Council, on August 15, 2018, Armen Grigoryan made a change to his registered address in the same 070 code passport, transferring his registration to an apartment on Vagharchyan Street in the Arabkir administrative district of Yerevan.

It appears that Armen Grigoryan continued to use the specified passport afterward, and it is possible that it remains his valid passport even today, as its validity extends until March 5, 2028.