Last year, 22,264 Armenians received Russian citizenship

ArmInfo.In 2016, 22,264 Armenians received Russian citizenship (in 2015, there were 18,653 people). This is reported by RT with reference to the press service  of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The department noted that the demand for Russian citizenship in the  CIS countries is traditionally high.  According to official data, in  2016, 100 696 Ukrainians became holders of the Russian Federation  passport, which is 49% more than in 2015 (67,400 people) according to  the number of Russian passports received.  On the second line is  Kazakhstan - 37 837 people (in 2015 - 32070), in third place was  Uzbekistan - 23 216 people (in 2015 - 22 557)", the department  reports.

At the same time, it is emphasized that the observed growth in the  issuance of Russian passports to CIS citizens is mainly due to the  expansion of the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement  of compatriots residing abroad in the Russian Federation.

To recall, the main objectives developed at the initiative of the  President of the Russian Federation, V.V.  Putin and the program  "Compatriots", approved in 2006, is to stimulate and organize the  process of voluntary resettlement of compatriots to Russia, to  compensate for the natural loss of population in the country and in  its individual regions by attracting immigrants to permanent  residence in the Russian Federation. Under this program, Russia  offers relocation and assistance to those who do not have a job, and  then, with the necessary documents, the opportunity to obtain  citizenship in six months, living in a remote region of the country.  Those who receive the status of a migrant are granted a one-time  financial benefit in the amount of four to eight thousand dollars,  and free delivery of property is also provided.

The Armenian leadership has repeatedly stated that it opposes the  implementation of this program in Armenia. Back in 2013, the former  Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that the program "Compatriots" is  unacceptable for Armenia. "We did not give consent to the  implementation of this program in Armenia. We are conducting  consistent work, we are discussing this issue with our Russian  colleagues, including within the framework of a joint  intergovernmental commission", Tigran Sargsyan said.