State Migration Service conducted awareness raising event in Khudat city of Khachmaz district  

In Khudat which is included to service area of Khachmaz regional migration department was held an awareness raising event. More than 240 civil society and state authority representatives, as well as foreigners and stateless persons participated at the event which was held with broad discussions on eradication of statelessness, procedure of establishing citizenship, registration procedures upon place of stay of foreigners and stateless persons intending to stay in the country for more than 10 days, issuance of temporary and permanent residence permits, rules on use of foreign labor force, works done by the Service with regard to combating illegal migration.

It was emphasized at the event that as a result of President Ilham Aliyev’s attention and care full-capacity operation of the Service and its 8 regional departments was provided for the purpose of enlarging services rendered for citizens, foreigners and stateless persons and succeeding applicants’ satisfaction. For timely and decently implementation of duties assigned to State Migration Service by the Head of State the entity gives importance to conducting constant meetings in the regions, organizing mobile services purposed to enlighten society, investigate and resolve applications more operationally.

The Service officials stated that according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated from March 6, 2008 participation of State Migration Service in citizenship issues was ensured and since then State Migration Service started carrying out processing of queries filed by individuals and various organizations related to acquisition, restoration, revocation of the citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as establishment of the citizenship of the country. State Migration Service constantly conducts relevant events in direction of abolishment of statelessness, determination and documentation of stateless persons residing in the different regions of our country, persons carrying former soviet passports and those whose affiliation to citizenship was not established. It was brought to attention with concrete facts that taken measures show positive effects, and this decisive policy is a reflection of humanitarian concept of Azerbaijan state.

In response to question on double citizenship at the meeting SMS official stated that Article 10 of the Law “On citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan” envisages that in cases when citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan has double citizenship (bears citizenship of another state (or states) alongside with the citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan) the affiliation of an Azerbaijani citizen to citizenship of a foreign state shall not be recognized, except for cases provided by international agreements of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or in cases resolved in accordance with paragraph 32, Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

At the event was also delivered comprehensive information on works done in direction of improving migration legislation. It was pointed out that evaluation of the knowledge of state language and rights and duties of foreigners and stateless persons willing to acquire permanent residence permit in our republic in accordance with provisions envisaged in Migration Code carries great importance in terms of integration of foreigners to the society.       

The information on implementation and development of information-communication technologies strategy in the Service, as well as online receipt of applications from both citizens and foreigners and stateless persons greeted by participants with interest.

It was notified that arrival date, residence and work place, as well as departure of every foreigner and stateless person are kept under full control via Unified Migration Information System of State Migration Service which operation has been provided with the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated from February 9, 2009. This enables us to have a full notion about dynamics of migration processes occurring in the country. 

In the end of the meeting questions delivered by the participants were responded.

Later on appeals of 14 foreigner and stateless person residing within the service area of Khachmaz regional migration department on citizenship issues were heard and explanatory discussion was held.

Mrs. Nazakat Iskandarova expressed their satisfaction on behalf of participants for awareness raising event.