SECURITY ON BORDERS PRIORITISES RUSSIA’S POLICY, PUTIN SAYS
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
October 25, 2006 Wednesday 09:55 AM EST
President Vladimir Putin said ensure security on Russia’s southern
borders and improve the immigration policy are priority tasks.
In a question-and-answer televised conference with the nation on
Wednesday, Putin said, "This is our task and we should invest in it.
We’ll spend 500 million U.S. dollars to ensure security in the Caucasus
– from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea."
"The total number of immigrants in our country (it is impossible
to calculate them exactly) is about from 10 million to 15 million
people. This is enormous. In Western Europe the situation is the
same, maybe less – about 10-12 million of immigrants. We should
defend our southern borders and improve our immigration policy. This
is our priority task. In order to ensure security in the Caucasus –
from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea we intend to spend about 500
million U.S. dollars," President Putin stressed.
"It’ll take more time. But till the end of 2007 we’ll close the border
in full (for illegal penetration," he added.
"We have a huge border with Central Asia. It is the most dangerous
direction. It is becoming the most dangerous track because of drug
trafficking and organised crime," Putin pointed out.
The protection of borders "is our common task and our
responsibility. It needs money and time. We have plans and we’ll
carry them out," the president said.
The changes in Russia’s law regulating migration problems will be a
base for pursuing the policy of so-called selective migration, Minister
of Public Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov said. On
October 5, President Putin demanded to protect domestic producers
from racket and toughen the visa regime towards foreign citizens who
violate Russia’s legislation. Putin instructed the prime minister to
adopt corresponding normative enactments on ensuring national security.
Russia ranks first after the United States in migration volume.
According to different sources, at present from 10 million to
20 million foreign citizens who have no registration stay in the
country. Not more than 700,000 people are officially registered.
About 80 percent of migrants living in Russia are citizens of the
former USSR – Armenia (about 2.5 million), Azerbaijan (2 million),
Ukraine (one million), Georgia (one million), Tajikistan (504,000),
Moldova (over 154,000), and Belarus (70,000). Guest workers from China,
Vietnam, Turkey and Afghanistan arrive in Russia most of all.
Most guest workers work in the Moscow region – about three million
people. Labour migrants work in the construction sector – 42 percent,
trade – 28 percent, transport – 5 percent, agriculture and forestry –
7 percent.
Director of the Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romodanovsky
said illegal migration poses a threat to Russia’s national security.
Annually migrants bring out over 10 billion U.S. dollars. Economic
damage caused by illegal migrants because of tax non-payment reaches
over eight billion U.S. dollars every year.
In recent years much attention has been riveted to illegal migration.
Despite the fact that the deportation of illegal migrants is rather
expensive (about 1,000 U.S. dollars per people), a total of 89,000
foreign citizens were deported in 2004. In 2005 over 1.5 million
foreign citizens and stateless persons brought for administrative
responsibility for the violation of migration legislation. In 2006
certain amendments were made into the law that toughen responsibility
for crimes related to illegal migration.
The demographic situation in the country is not easy. In order
to prevent the decrease in labour force it is necessary to involve
about one million migrants in Russia annually. At the end of 2005 the
experiment was conducted to announce migration amnesty in 10 Russian
regions. About 7,500 migrants were legalised. Migration amnesty was
announced for residents of CIS countries with which Russia has a visa
regime, with the exception of Georgia and Turkmenistan.
Migrants should be involved due to the Russian economy’s needs. In
order to legalise the movement of labour migrants the Federation
Migration Service created a central database in January 2006 to take
account of those foreign citizens who crossed the Russian border.