By Country / Russia
Russian Lawmaker Says Law-Abiding Migrants Welcome
December 19, 2005
Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov (CTK)
State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov made the remarks yesterday, on the occasion of International Migrant's Day.
He called for an update of current migration laws and said economic development in Siberia and the Far East could bring in potential migrants from the former Soviet republics.
The vast majority of immigrants to Russia come from the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The Moscow Human Rights Bureau noted yesterday that nearly 25 percent of Russians are displeased by rising levels of immigration.
It called on the Russian government to do more to promote migration as a solution to the country's mounting demographic and labor-force issues.
(newsru.com/ITAR-TASS)