Moscow wants immigration but must safeguard the interests of Russia first, the president said
Immigrants who come to work and live in Russia must comply with its laws and respect its customs and traditions, including learning its language, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
Putin addressed the issue at the meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, traditionally held in early December.
“We need to attract such labor resources that meet the interests of the Russian economy,” the president said. “This means that [these] people must be prepared from a linguistic, ethnocultural point of view. They must know our traditions and so on.”
The interest of Russia and its citizens “must be put first,” the president insisted. All immigrants and visitors also “must comply with Russian laws,” Putin clarified. “And, of course, we, as a civilized country, must also ensure their rights.”
Russia is opening…