DUSHANBE, October 21, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe on October 20, Ms. Marina Yezhova, the chairperson of the consular section, the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe, said that Russia has simplified a procedure of granting Russian citizenship to participants of the Russian national program for voluntary resettlement of fellow-countrymen living aboard. 

According to her, under the Russian law requiring amendments to Article 14 of the RF Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” which was signed by the Russian president on October 1 this year, participants of the mentioned program may take the Russian citizenship without compulsory 5-year residence in the territory of Russia.

“Since September 2007, 114 families (368 persons) have left Tajikistan for the Russian Federation under the program for voluntary resettlement of fellow-countrymen living aboard,” said