The Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov agreed to work out a mutually acceptable solution to persons with dual citizenship living in the Republic.
ASHGABAT, 12 Dec. Russia and Turkmenistan intend to develop a mutually acceptable solution to dual nationals (dual citizens) living in the Republic, told reporters on Saturday the Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko.
“Dual citizens we had a long talk with the President of Turkmenistan and with our colleagues in the Parliament,” the Senator said.
The agreement between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on the settlement of questions of dual citizenship was signed on 23 December 1993 and entered into force on 18 may 1995. The term of the agreement is five years with automatic renewal for subsequent five year periods, if none of the parties will not declare in advance its intention to stop its action. In April 2003, the leaders of Russia and Turkmenia have agreed about the termination of the agreement authorizing the inhabitants of two countries dual citizenship, and signed a corresponding Protocol. Later that year, the Ashgabat unilaterally announced the non-recognition of dual citizenship. Thus, in this state there was a so-called dual citizens — dual citizenship, some of which received a Russian passport before the withdrawal of Turkmenistan from the agreement in 2003, the part after. In may 2015, Turkmenistan refused to extend the 1993 agreement on the settlement of questions of dual citizenship.
The head of the Federation Council explained that in Turkmenistan believe that because in 2003 a Protocol was signed, which was not ratified by the Russian Parliament, then “those who got dual citizenship before that time, (they) all right, and those who received it after 2003, and as it does not have the right to dual citizenship”. “We have a different position,” — said Matvienko.
Turkmenistan declared this year of termination of such agreement, this right of a sovereign state, the speaker said. “We believe that those who have to (decision) has received a dual citizenship, are entitled to receive a Turkmen passport. This is slightly more than 9.6 thousand people”, — she explained.
We are convinced that it is mainly people of retirement age, they need those passports to freely travel to Russia, to visit relatives, said Matvienko.
Until a legal decision has not been taken. “The Turkmen President said that engage, the parliaments of the two countries, and find such solution, please report us presidents,” the speaker said. According to Matvienko, she and her Turkmen counterpart have already instructed specialized committees to work in the period until the end of January, as a legally acceptable to solve this problem.
Matviyenko said that President of Turkmenistan in discussing this issue noted that “the window of opportunity is still open”.
