Migrant workers unwelcome in Russia, Moscow mayor saysMay 30, 2013 - 12:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Migrant workers from Central Asia should not be encouraged to remain in Russia, Moscow City Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview with Moskovsky Novosty newspaper on Thursday, May 30, according to RIA Novosti. “People who speak Russian badly and who have a different culture are better off living in their own country. Therefore, we do not welcome their adaptation in Moscow,” he said in an interview during which he also expressed hostility towards the idea of ethnic ghettos. "Moscow is a Russian city and it should remain that way. It's not Chinese, not Tadjik and not Uzbek." The Russian capital, like the country as a whole, depends heavily on migrant labor, but there is widespread opposition in many areas of society to higher levels of immigration. Sobyanin also said he was against the formation of ethnic ghettoes in Moscow, and that people of different races should be encouraged to live side by side. “To mark them [ethnic groups] out as separate, to set off different cultures against each other, is very dangerous and simply explosive, especially for our city,” he said. There are around 5 million migrant workers in Russia of which about 3 million are illegal, the Federal Migration Service said in March. Russia has the world’s largest number of illegal migrants, accounting for almost seven percent of the country’s working population, according to a 2012 report by the OECD. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |