DUSHANBE, November 13, Asia-Plus - On November 11, representatives from the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe held a meeting with Russian-speaking people living in the Tursunzoda district, some 60 kilometers of Dushanbe. 

The meeting focused on a program of work with fellow-countrymen designed for 2006-2008.  Participants at the meeting also considered issues related to priorities of Russia’s national policy on ethnic Russians living abroad.   

Representatives from Russia’s Federal Migration Service, RosZarubezhTsenter (Russian overseas center) and Russian organizations dealing with issues of supporting fellow-countrymen living abroad also took part in the meeting’s work. 

The RosZarubezhtsenter representative Aleksandr Dorofeyev telling the meeting noted that at present some 22 million-25 million fellow-countrymen live outside the Russian Federation.  “Some 2,500 Russian-speaking people are currently living in Tursunzoda,” Dorofeyev said.  

On their center’s activity, Dorofeyev said that one of the main directions of the RosZarubezhTsenter activity is meeting information and cultural requirements, providing financial support to fellow-countrymen living abroad.  “Over the first nine months of this year, RosZarubezhTsenter has provided a total of US$17,000 financial support to 4,000 fellow-countrymen living in Tajikistan,” Dorofeyev said.   

Besides, more than 180 children of fellow-countrymen living in Tajikistan have taken a rest in Tajik and Russian summer camps this year.  “More than 170 veterans of war have had a rest at Tajik resort centers,” said Dorofeyev, “And 40 children of fellow-countrymen have been send to Russia to study at higher educational institutions free of charge.”   

Representatives from the Embassy and Russia’s Federal Migration Service told the meeting about rules of taking the Russian citizenship and the program of voluntary resettlement to 12 regions of Russia.  This program will be launched in January 2007.