Putin urges progress on Russian citizenship lawApril 30, 2013 - 14:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to speed up progress on a draft law easing citizenship requirements for Russian-language speaking applicants who are descendants of people born in Russia and the Soviet Union, RIA Novosti reported citing the Kremlin press service. Putin has tasked the government with introducing a draft law to the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, by September 15, 2013, the Kremlin said Tuesday, April 30. Russian citizenship requirements will be relaxed for those applicants who have decided to move to Russia for permanent residence and renounce the citizenship of another country. During his live question and answer session on TV last week, Putin invited citizens from the CIS countries “of a reproductive age, who are well-educated and can adapt well to our culture” to become Russian citizens. “We are waiting for such people,” he said. Russia wants to attract such immigrants because of the falling population, which threatens to create a demographic crisis, with a particular shortage of working age people. Many people from the former USSR who have tried to get Russian citizenship hitherto complain about the time the process takes, and the arbitrary nature of the bureaucracy involved. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |