Government of the Russian State Duma introduced a new bill, according to which new rules of receiving citizenship is provided for Russian-speaking citizens. Under this bill, the residents of the former Soviet Union countries who master the Russian language can receive citizenship within three months if they set up a permanent residence in Russia and abandon their country citizenship. The approval of bill is a major challenge for Armenia.
There are risks that many individuals who want in Russia or want to settle there, or just want to facilitate their in-and-out to Russia by work, would simply give up the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.
Aravot.am asked Gevorg Poghosyan, the Director of the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law, whether the new bill will promote the migration from Armenia, or will contribute to our country’s demographic crisis. He replied, “Here, we should separate two processes. Armenians, with already temporary residence in Russia, who are likely to come back in three months, and then return back, after passing this bill they may immediately accept the citizenship and become citizens of the Russian Federation. For us, the first attack or threat will be the fact that the Armenians who are already there will take the benefit of it. I think that 70 percent of Armenians staying in Russia and 30 percent of Armenians living in Armenia will take the benefit of this law. Therefore, it will not significantly increase the migration, but will reinforce the Armenians living in Russia who had left a few years ago, and their return and reunion with Armenia will become unreal.” To our question of whether there is no risk that these individuals being settled in Russia will later take their families, too, Mr. Poghosyan replied, “It is always the case. They are going, settling, later are taking their family members.” And as to what the government of Armenia can do to mitigate the demographic crisis, Mr. Poghosyan said, “Our government should at least work in a way, to change the conditions here in a way that people will seek to stay here. The same thing like in IT industry exempting the newly established organizations from tax for three years, this can be done with minor and small businesses. People leaving for Russia are mostly builders, similar conditions should be created for them to make them stay here.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
