Medvedev approves amendments to compatriot law

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev signed the amendments to the Federal Law "On the Russian Federation's state policy regarding compatriots abroad". The set of amendments was passed in the Russian State Duma on the 9th of June 2010 and approved by the Federation Council on the 14th of July. This law should benefit the development of Russia's relations with its citizens abroad, km.ru informs.

This new law eliminates the practice of the so-called "Russian card" issue. Moreover, the latest version of the document offers a new interpretation of the term "compatriots abroad", which does not permit the categorising of all Russian residents of ex-Soviet states as "compatriots abroad". The principle of self-identification is offered instead.

The new law also settles issues of cultural, political, educational and economic interaction with Russian residents of other countries. It stipulates a special state program for assisting "compatriots abroad" to move to the Russian Federation.