Tiraspol, 20 March. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. As Novosti Pridnestrovya has reported, Russia's State Duma is holding the parliamentary hearings today on the contemporary policy of the Russian Federation towards compatriots living abroad. Supreme Council vice speaker Galina Antyfeyeva represents Pridnestrovie at this forum.
As she noted in an interview with our agency, the issues of support for compatriots and eased access to Russian citizenship seem today more relevant than ever.
«There are over 200,000 Russian citizens in Pridnestrovie, with even more compatriots willing to acquire [Russian] citizenship. This is a huge problem, especially for those who were born after 1992. We are in fact losing our young people who would like to become Russian citizens," said Antyufeyeva.
According to her, the most pressing today is the problem of support for compatriots in unrecognised states. In this regard, Galina Antyufeyeva expresses hope that proposals drawn up by Pridnestrovian MPs will be considered and included in the final resolution.
«It is very important to consider the possibility of simplifying citizenship procedures: to pass Russian language and history tests in the country where they [compatriots] live. It is important for people not to renounce the citizenship they have already obtained as an emergency measure to be able to travel abroad," said the MP, adding that «the hearings are a very important and necessary step in addressing these problems».
