Kyrgyzstan joining Customs Union will ease life for labour migrants

Atambayev addressed a forum dedicated to problems of Kyrgyz labour migration to Russia, which is being held in Kyrgyzstan's second largest city of Osh; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.

According to the Kyrgyz prime minister, his country's joining the Customs Union is an "inevitable process." He did not rule out that the issue will be settled already this fall.

According to earlier reports, the country's cabinet of ministers on April 11 officially voted for the accession of the Customs Union and sent a relevant request to the Customs Union's governing bodies some days later.

At the same time, Atambayev admitted that some politicians and economists in the country strongly oppose its strive for Customs Union membership. "Our initiative has been met with strong opposition by many," he said.

He also said that thanks to the fact that many Kyrgyz migrants are working in Russia social tensions inside the country are not so high as they might be. "Labour migrants earn their living abroad. Here, in Kyrgyzstan, unfortunately, we cannot give jobs to everyone," he said and praised the Russian authorities for their non-discriminative approach and support to Kyrgyz labour migrants.

Participants in the Osh forum will discuss Russia-Kyrgyz cooperation in the area of labour migration, particularly changes in the Russian labour laws and risks of illegal labour migration.

Taking part in the forum are officials from the Russian presidential administration, Russia's Federal Migration Service, non-governmental organizations active in the area of labour migration. The Kyrgyz delegation, which includes government and presidential administration officials, and governors of Kyrgyz regions, is led by Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev.