Special representative of Russian President on president's position concerning Kaliningrad region

The Russian President has taken "a comprehensible, i.e. not tough, but a clear position" concerning ways to solve the Kaliningrad problem resulting from the European Union's /EU/ enlargement, Dmitry Rogozin, the Chairman of the International Committee of the State Duma /the lower chamber of the Russian parliament/ and the special representative of the Russian President for the Kaliningrad issue, was quoted as saying following a meeting with the Russian leader.

According to the legislator, Vladimir Putin considers the aforesaid problem "as both a citizen and the President." As a citizen, he does not want to see his nation separated, Rogozin said. As the President, he will not stand anyone violating the Russian Constitution and Russian citizens' rights and freedoms. "He will not let it be so," he emphasised.

Rogozin stated that Vladimir Putin "totally supported the approach envisaging that Russian citizens' right for free movement within Russia should be observed." According to the legislator, the solution to this problem "lies in adjusting the Russian legislation and law-enforcement policies" to European standards. He also said that it was necessary to "combine our measures to fight illegal migration and organised crime with similar efforts by the EU." Rogozin believes that this is the basis for a future solution to "the extremely difficult issue of the Kaliningrad region."