Pyotr Yermilin: The Russian Government decides to sort out former USSR citizens

Valentina Matvieynko, the vice-premier of the Russian Government, said that the executive power was going to attract intellectual resources from the neighboring countries. Matviyenko referred to the necessity of solving the Russian demographic problem.

There should be another fact mentioned in this connection. “The correct immigration policy,” as it was defined by Valentina Matviyenko, envisages a selection of migrants in order to allow them to live and work in Russia. It is probably right, but the latest innovations of the president and the government in terms of work for former compatriots are in constant contradiction with the international right.

It should be recalled that the lower house of the Russian Parliament has recently held the first reading to the new variant of the law about the citizenship. It is much more strict towards the former citizens of the USSR who would like to become Russian citizens. Here is another initiative: the government decided to select those who are needed or not needed in the country.

In the meantime, Russia considers itself as the legal successor of the USSR. It takes the USSR’s place in the UN Security Council, sets out its demands on certain international treaties (there seems to be not one person left in the world who does not know about the dispute between America and Russia regarding the ABM treaty). Russia pays the debts of the former Soviet Union; in other words, it is acting from the position of a super power. However, when it comes to the issues of the citizens of the former USSR, Russia has taken a tough position. Therefore, there is a contradiction. On the one hand, the Russian Federation is the successor of the USSR, but ,on the other hand, it totally rejects them this right? This is nonsense! Anyway, the Kremlin is still standing on its own viewpoints, having the support from the parliament and the government. However, this situation cannot last long: a citizen of the former USSR may take this question to the court to establish the fact, namely, Moscow is not entitled to declare itself as the successor of the Soviet Union, with all the consequences arising from it. We wonder if such a person is going to challenge what the Russian Government has elaborated as “the correct migration policy.”

On the photo: Valentina Matviyenko - the vice premier of the Russian Federation Government