2021] NATIONALITY LAWS 121 Our analysis of concluding observations revealed that with respect to denial of citizenship,157 the Committee tends to use similar language to that seen in General Recommendation Thirty, including “draws attention to,” “is concerned,” and “recommends.” For example, with respect to reports that government officials in Nepal were seeking to discourage Dalits from applying for citizenship and that other groups had been denied citizenship by descent, the Committee recommended that Nepal ensure that “the laws, regulations and practices contain procedures for issuing citizenship certificates without distinction as to caste.” 158 In 2011, the Committee noted that it was “particularly concerned” with the discriminatory provisions in the Maldivian Constitution that “all Maldivians should be Muslim, thus excluding non-Muslims from obtaining citizenship . . . and affecting mainly people of a different national or ethnic origin.”159 Here, the Committee referred only to Article 5.160 The Committee’s concluding observations on Cyprus in 2013 noted with concern that naturalization requests from persons of Southeast Asian origin had been denied, despite meeting requirements for naturalization.161 The Committee in that case recommended that Cyprus “respect the right to nationality without discrimination.” 162 In 2001, prior to its issuance of General Recommendation Thirty, the Committee in its observations on Latvia noted the fact that “only such persons who were citizens of Latvia before 1940 and their descendants have automatically been granted citizenship,” while other persons— more than twenty-five percent of the resident population—had to apply for citizenship and were therefore in a disadvantaged position.163 The Committee also noted the existence of persons 157 Our analysis revealed that denial of nationality on the basis of race/ethnic origin was considered in relation to seventeen countries between 1995 and December 2019 (being Bahrain, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Iraq, Germany, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, and Togo). 158 Comm. on Elimination Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on Nepal, ¶ 34, U.N. Doc. CERD/C/NPL/CO/17-23 (May 29, 2018). 159 Comm. on Elimination Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on Maldives, ¶ 10, U.N. Doc. CERD/C/MDV/CO/5-12 (Sept. 14, 2011). 160 Id. 161 Comm. on Elimination Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on Cyprus, ¶ 18, U.N. Doc. CERD/C/CYP/CO/17-22 (Sept. 23, 2013). 162 Id. 163 Comm. on Elimination Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on Latvia, ¶ 12, U.N. Doc. CERD/C/304/Add.79 (Apr. 12, 2001). See also Comm. on Elimination Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on