On Thursday, the parliament approved in the final reading a draft law according to which Syrian citizen Muhammad Alismail is recognized as a citizen of Latvia, writes LETA.
Citizenship is granted to the Syrian under a special law, bypassing the usual naturalization procedure, based on the individual circumstances of Alismail, his integration into Latvian society, and other significant considerations.
Alismail, born in Syria in 1992, married a Latvian citizen in 2006. Since 2010, he has been residing permanently in Latvia, and the family is raising three children. The annotation to the draft law states that Alismail has integrated into Latvian society and feels a sense of belonging to it.
In March 2023, Alismail applied to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) for Latvian citizenship through naturalization. On July 8, 2024, OCMA issued him a guarantee certificate confirming that after submitting the document for renouncing Syrian citizenship, he would be included in the Cabinet of Ministers' draft order for citizenship acquisition.
Since July 2024, Alismail has repeatedly attempted to renounce his Syrian citizenship — both at the Syrian Ministry of Internal Affairs and its subordinate institutions, as well as at various Syrian embassies. All attempts have been unsuccessful, as the Syrian competent authorities refuse to issue permission to renounce citizenship.
In his statement to the Saeima Commission on Citizenship, Migration, and Social Cohesion, Alismail indicated that renouncing Syrian citizenship is impossible for objective reasons. Although Syrian legislation allows for dual citizenship, it does not provide for the possibility of voluntary renunciation of citizenship, and due to the complex political situation, it is impossible to predict when such an opportunity may arise.
Alismail is supported in obtaining Latvian citizenship by LLC "Innovative Travel Solutions," where he serves as the regional manager, coordinating and overseeing the work of more than 200 employees and ensuring the strategic development of the company.
The company emphasizes that Alismail's professional knowledge, work ethic, and loyalty make him a significant member of society, and his obtaining Latvian citizenship would benefit Latvia.
The commission, having reviewed the submitted documents and heard the candidate for citizenship about his attempts to renounce Syrian citizenship, as well as his motivation to become a citizen of Latvia and his plans for the future, instructed OCMA to verify Alismail's compliance with the requirements of the citizenship law.
OCMA reported that there is no information available to Latvian competent institutions regarding any restrictions on the applicant as provided by Article 11 of the citizenship law. At the same time, OCMA indicated that Alismail has the right to apply for citizenship through naturalization; however, at this moment, he cannot obtain the document for renouncing Syrian citizenship as required by law.
The commission, considering all established facts and the circumstance that Alismail cannot obtain Latvian citizenship through naturalization for objective reasons beyond his control, and that obtaining citizenship aligns with both the goals of the citizenship law and the interests of society, supported his admission to citizenship under the special law.
At the commission meeting, Alismail took a solemn oath of allegiance to the Republic of Latvia and confirmed that as soon as a legal opportunity arises, he will immediately renounce his Syrian citizenship.
