DUSHANBE, October 22, 2012, Asia-Plus - Russia’s migration service agency chief has supported Russian drug control chief’s initiative on new travel document requirements for citizens of the CIS member nations.

Komsomolskaya Pravda notes that Konstantin Romodanovsky, Head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS), has supported an initiative of Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) on new travel document requirements for citizens of countries that have visa-free regime with the Russian Federation.

“Labor migrants from Central Asia’s nations must have foreign passports while enter the territory of the Russian Federation,” Romodanovsky was quoted as saying.

Romodanovsky has reportedly supported an initiative of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service, which has repeatedly pointed to the necessity of making amendments to the travel document requirements for citizens of countries that have visa-free regime with the Russian Federation.

Earlier, FSKN chief Viktor Ivanov had called on the Russian authorities to introduce new travel document requirements for citizens of the CIS member nations.  He noted that they must need foreign passports for travel to the Russian Federation.

Romodanovsky was cited as saying that he supports the initiative that citizens of the CIS member nations must travel to Russia on a foreign passport.  “It is uneasy issue but it must be resolved,” the FMS chief noted.

The news agency RIA Novosti reports that Romodanovsky has stressed that the new travel document requirements must be introduced for, first of all, nationals of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

We will recall that Tajik nationals have traveled to the Russian Federation on an internal passport since November 1, 2008.

An estimated more some one million Tajik seasonal workers travel abroad each year, primarily to Russia.  Most Tajik migrant workers are laborers on construction sites, in factories or on farms.  Most migrants live and work in Russia illegally.