The Ombudsman of Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleymanova, said at the press-conference attended by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, that her visit to Russia was aimed at getting familiarized with the situation of the rights of the Azerbaijan citizens to Russia after the new law on migration came into force in Russia, hearing all complaints and holding active talks with the senior officials of Russia on this topic, Trend Special Correspondent in Moscow reports.
The Commissioner on Human Rights of Azerbaijan said that she has held productive meetings with the Commissioner on Human Rights of Russian, Vladimir Lukin, Head of the Department on Humanitarian Co-operation and Human Rights of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Malginov, Chief of General Department of Internal Affairs of Moscow, Vladimir Pronin and Director of the Federal Migration Service, Constantine Romodanovski. During the meeting with Vladimir Pronin, the Azerbaijan Ombudsman said that we got to knowledge about the facts of insulting and humiliating the citizens detained in the isolators. Pronin said that they have information on such facts and try to eliminate them. In addition, he offered to inform on such facts to take relevant measures. Suleymanova said that the Ombudsman Office of Azerbaijan is interested in ensuring and protecting the rights of the Azerbaijanis residing abroad.
Speaking about the results of the visit to Moscow, Suleymanova said that she visited the isolators of temporary detention for the foreign citizens to directly hear the complaints and get familiarized with the situation of the Azerbaijan citizens. She said that there are two isolators in Moscow вЂ" No. 1 for men and No. 2 for women. There is no Azerbaijan citizens in isolator 2, but 10 Azerbaijan citizens are detained in the insulator No. 1. One citizen is ill and the Ambassador of Azerbaijan made an initiative to send him to Azerbaijan, Suleymanova said. The Embassy of Azerbaijan takes all necessary measures to restore the documents of the Azerbaijan citizens. The senior officials of Russia said that the Federal budget of Russia has allocated $1,000 for each citizen to send them to their native lands. The matter is that the Federal Migration Service has not received these finances yet. The Migration Service said that they will receive the finance till March 10, 2007 and the problem will be resolved. Suleymano
va said that during the meetings with the Russian senior officials, the Azerbaijan side made proposals to the Russian side to assist in legalizing the citizens of the Azerbaijanis, provide time to them to complete their work before return to their native land, demonstrate individual approach to each case, take into consideration the specific problems, not to break the base principles of the human rights. In addition, we offered to reconsider the part of the legislation regarding the labor activities of the migrants in markets. We hope that our proposals will be taken into consideration, Suleymanova said.
The information on the departure of the mass character of the Azerbaijan citizens in Russia has been overstated. Azerbaijan citizens form 4.8%. The Russian law has not been directed against the Azerbaijan or other migrants. Simply Russia wants to bring into order the situation with the migration, Suleymanova said.
The Ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu said that the new law on migration has newly come into force and still it is early to speak about any results. According to him, the Head of the Federal Migration Service, Romodanovski, said that presently the implementation process of the new law is being studied. Romodanovski offered to inform on the negative facts faced by the Azerbaijani citizens.
Bulbuloglu called on the Azerbaijan citizens to follow all necessary migration rules for normal and legal stay in Russia. Created by the President Ilham Aliyev, the State Commission and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia maintain this question on the focus of attention and take all necessary measures. The Azerbaijan citizens need to be attentive and appeal to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia if they have any problems, he said.