Turkish citizens continue to work in Russian companies

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a list of Russian companies which will be able to employ Turkish citizens after January 1st, 2016, according to the website of the Russian government.

"I signed a decree defining the list of Russian companies and organizations in which the ban [on the involvement of Turkish nationals in employment - VK] will not be distributed. There are a number of exemptions. Taking these decisions, we were guided by the proposals of the interested ministries and regions, but others will not be able to employ Turkish citizens," RIA Novosti cited the prime minister as saying.

The list was drafted by the Labour Ministry pursuant to Presidential Executive Order № 583 'On measures to ensure the national security of the Russian Federation and the protection of Russian citizens from criminal and other unlawful acts and on special economic measures with regards to the Republic of Turkey' dated November 28, 2015.

According to the website of the Russian government, the list includes 53 companies and organisations based in the republics of Bashkortostan, Crimea, Tatarstan, Krasnodar Territory, Vladimir, Kaluga, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Tyumen regions, Moscow, St Petersburg and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. These are organisations that are involved in construction, the automotive industry and the production of construction materials, polymer pipes and fittings, plumbing equipment and floor surfacing.

The exempted companies will, however, be prohibited from exceeding the total number of Turkish employees hired by them as of December 31.

Professor of the Economic History department at the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) of RANEPA, Alexander Bessolitsyn, in an interview with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza praised the decision of the Cabinet, considering it as economically correct.

"Bilateral relations and politics are one thing, and the economy is a different thing. If a country is responsible, then the policy must be responsible too. Therefore, despite the worsening of the situation, it is impossible to break the long-term contracts, they must be carried out. But any new agreements or new contracts are improbable," the expert said.

A docent of the Faculty of International Relations of the TOBB University of Economics and Technology (Ankara), Togrul Ismail, told Vestnik Kavkaza that such a decision can be viewed as a positive sign.

"This shows that Russia and Turkey have become so closely linked economically over the years that the adoption of any sanctions against Turkey could have a negative impact on the Russian economy," he said.

The expert expressed hope that there will be more relaxed atmosphere in relations between Moscow and Ankara in the coming 2016. "This list shows that our economic relations are not as simple as it seemed at first glance. They are deeply interconnected," Ismail noted.

In the future, perhaps, the restrictions on the employment of Turkish nationals in Russia will be completely removed, the docent of the Faculty of International Relations of the TOBB University of Economics and Technology suggested.

He recalled that Russia and Turkey have committed major bilateral investment. Furthermore, the Russian market is very important for Turkey. "It is very difficult to cross things out in just one moment. I think that next year there will be a significant improvement," Togrul Ismail concluded.