No appeals have been made by the Russians to the Russian Community of Azerbaijan with a request to move to Russia, MP Mikhail Zabelin, Chairman of the Russian Community of Azerbaijan told Trend Correspondent to Moscow during his interview with Trend.
He said that recently the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, had signed the decree to support the voluntary move of Russian compatriots to their historic fatherland, Russia. I do not know what the reaction of the Russian population of Azerbaijan is on the decree of the Russian President, but no-one has appealed to me with a request to move to Russia, said Mr. Zabelin.
In principle, at present, Azerbaijani Russians live quite comfortably. The Azerbaijani legislation has no article that could infringe the rights of Russian or other peoples living on the territory of Azerbaijan. The Russian language still exists, and has not been prohibited from the daily lives. There are no reasons for the Russians to leave Azerbaijan, said Mr. Zabelin, and added that if while in Georgia (less Abkhazia and South Ossetiya) just 4,000-5,000 Russians have left, about 6,000 Russians live in Armenia, in Azerbaijan Russian population reaches 170,000. This figure proves the fact that Azerbaijani Russians have got accustomed to the Country and do not want to leave. 170,000 Russians in Azerbaijan is the support for Russia in the whole South Caucasus, and the evidence is that they do not want to leave the Country,
he said.
The Head of the Russian Community of the Country also said that today Azerbaijan is printing more Russian language papers than it did previously. Russian sectors of the Azerbaijan schools are not closing. The same applies to the institutions of higher education. We have had two orthodox churches in the capital. Recently, the third one has opened its doors to believers. It was reconstructed under the support of an Azerbaijani businessman, he added.
Mr. Zabelin stressed that the Azerbaijan authorities have always been helpful. By an order of the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's Government has supported us in holding the 2nd congress of the Russian Community of the Country, as well as celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Organization. We have always been met with understanding and support from the authorities of Azerbaijan on this issue, he stated.