Russia will not change the procedure for granting citizenship to residents of Transnistria
Chisinau - Tiraspol, July 20 (Navigator, Petr Alekseev) - For Russia, Transnistria is still de jure an integral part of the Republic of Moldova, which means that people living in this territory are required to obtain Moldovan citizenship.
This was stated by the head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Moldova, Vladimir Malyshev, speaking last Friday in Tiraspol at an expert meeting on migration issues. The meeting was held on the initiative of the Council of Elders of Transnistria, reports the press service of the parliament of the republic.
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The diplomat also considers “legitimate” the practice of Pridnestrovians who want to obtain Russian citizenship to apply for identification documents to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova.
Malyshev noted that, despite the tightening of requirements for candidates for Russian citizenship, there are “plenty of legal opportunities” to obtain a Russian passport. Thus, factors contributing to obtaining Russian citizenship include a five-year stay in the country, obtaining a diploma from a Russian university, and participation in the state program for the resettlement of compatriots.
“If you want to be a Russian, go to Russia!” - said Malyshev.
Representatives of Transnistria, in turn, stated that “such a principle is not accepted” and that today it is more important than ever to keep the residents of the republic in their homeland. According to them, almost three hundred thousand people have left here over two decades. For example, in 2013, according to official data alone, 1625 people arrived in Transnistria, and 3752 residents left forever.
Pridnestrovian social activists and Foreign Ministry employees also pointed out that the Moldovan authorities are conducting forced documentation of Pridnestrovians, violating international norms. According to experts, to obtain a Russian passport, a resident of the PMR needs to obtain an identity document issued in the Republic of Moldova. And Chisinau automatically includes Pridnestrovians who apply for a stateless person certificate in the database of Moldovan citizens, after which a resident of the PMR is deprived of the opportunity to obtain a Russian passport.
Previously, Russia carried out work in Transnistria to obtain Russian citizenship in the format of on-site consular services, but in July 2011 this work was curtailed. Dmitry Baranov, then head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova, said that such a decision leadership of the Russian Federation adopted due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of citizens who had grounds for acquiring citizenship had already made their choice.
The exit consular service point in the city of Tiraspol, opened in 2006, continues to operate and provides passport services to Russian citizens living in Transnistria. There are about 200 thousand of them in the republic.
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