DUSHANBE, September 14, Asia-Plus - A two-day conference of councils of Russian fellow-countrymen from Central Asia’s states opened in the Kazakh city of Almaty today.  

According to information the Council of Russian Fellow-Countrymen in Tajikistan, a delegation numbering eight persons and led by Ms. Veronica Chigrina, Pro-rector of Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU) in Dushanbe, is representing the Council at the conference in Almaty.   

The source says the conference is aiming to consider the activity of the Russian fellow-countrymen’s councils on protecting legal rights and interests of the Russian Diasporas as well as issues related to improvement of Russia’s support for the fellow-countrymen living abroad.

The conference participants also will discuss a program for work with fellow-countrymen designed for 2006-2008, as well as Russia’s national program on voluntary resettlement of the fellow-countrymen, living abroad,  to the Russian Federation.  

Representatives from the councils operating in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as representatives from a number of Russian ministries are taking part in the conference’s work.