Medvedev calls for tougher control of migration

Moscow, May 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia is unlikely to overcome its demand for migrant labour in the coming decades, so the country requires an effective system to control migration processes, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

In an interview in the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily, he said the inflow of migrant workers was a trend that is "neither positive nor negative; it's just life".

"Firstly, we live in an open country, where people are free to come (and) leave. Secondly, we are living in the period when the demographic situation is complicated, when we need additional labour force. Russia is unlikely to be able to fully overcome its demand for migrants in the coming years and decades," Medvedev said.

"We need to turn migration into a manageable process."

"The most important thing is to create a system allowing to control these (migration) processes. This is what the recent decisions are aimed at, including those requiring the use international foreign passports (for residents of ex-Soviet states), not some letters of verification or other irrelevant documents.

"We must have a clear understanding of who enters our country. This is an issue of health and epidemiology, (an issue) of economy, an issue of security. So we will address this issue."

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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