“I think that we should subject that entourage of ours to lustration,” Papikian told lawmakers during the Armenian government’s question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
He said he has already asked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to “initiate such a process in the state governance system.”
“In my opinion, a state official must not allow themselves to have not only their own child but also children of their inner circle and relatives renounce Armenian citizenship,” added the minister.
Papikian, who is a senior member of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party, did not indicate the scale of the practice or name any of the officials resorting to it. Nor did he reveal Pashinian’s position on the purge sought by him. The premier also attended the session.
The practice decried by Papikian has existed for many years, involving not only state officials but also other people. Armenians renouncing their nationality have typically applied for Russian citizenship which was relatively easy to obtain until recently. Tens of thousands of them have received Russian passports over the past decade.
Russia has significantly toughened its naturalization requirements in recent months as part of an unprecedented crackdown on migrants that followed last March’s deadly terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow.