OSH, Kyrgyzstan -- A Russian delegation led by the president's office visited the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh today to discuss problems faced by migrants working in Russia, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev and the governors of Kyrgyzstan's three southern regions -- Batken, Jalal-Abad, and Osh -- are reportedly participating in the talks along with other Kyrgyz officials.
The Russian delegation is led by Sergei Vinokurov of President Dmitry Medvedev's office.
Atambaev stated at the meeting that in 2010 alone, 240,000 Kyrgyz citizens obtained Russian citizenship in order to avoid bureaucratic hassles and obstacles to travelling to Russia and finding work there.
He stressed that if Kyrgyzstan joins the Belarus-Kazakhstan-Russia Customs Union, many of the problems that Kyrgyz labor migrants currently encounter in Russia and Kazakhstan will disappear.
About 700,000 Kyrgyz citizens live and work on a permanent basis in Russia.
Read more in Kyrgyz here
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev and the governors of Kyrgyzstan's three southern regions -- Batken, Jalal-Abad, and Osh -- are reportedly participating in the talks along with other Kyrgyz officials.
The Russian delegation is led by Sergei Vinokurov of President Dmitry Medvedev's office.
Atambaev stated at the meeting that in 2010 alone, 240,000 Kyrgyz citizens obtained Russian citizenship in order to avoid bureaucratic hassles and obstacles to travelling to Russia and finding work there.
He stressed that if Kyrgyzstan joins the Belarus-Kazakhstan-Russia Customs Union, many of the problems that Kyrgyz labor migrants currently encounter in Russia and Kazakhstan will disappear.
About 700,000 Kyrgyz citizens live and work on a permanent basis in Russia.
Read more in Kyrgyz here