Society. Trust. Risks: an international migration forum took place at the State University of Management

On 2 October, the State University of Management held the Annual International Forum ‘Society. Trust. Risks: Trust in Migration Processes. Risks of the New Society’, which was dedicated to the university’s 100th anniversary. During the forum, representatives of government bodies, academia and public organisations expressed various points of view on the migration processes taking place in Russia and around the world

Alexander Troitsky, PhD in Technical Sciences, Docent, SUM Vice-Rector, who opened the plenary session, focused on the basic principles of the State Migration Policy Concept approved by the President of Russia until 2025, that prioritises the interests of Russian citizens, and highlighted the President’s thesis on the need to consider the diversity of regional and ethnocultural lifestyles of the population of Russia.

In his speech, the vice-rector also noted that following the approval of the Concept, Russia signed the UN’s Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration at the conference in Marrakech (Morocco) on 10 December 2018. Although the compact was approved by 150 countries, it is not legally binding and assures the sovereign right of countries to determine their national migration policies. ‘Therefore, we would like to see practical decisions established scientifically and aimed at the development of our societies and countries. We also hope that migration will contribute to the economic development of host countries and migrants’ countries of origin, as well as strengthening international contacts’, said Alexander Troitskiy.

Great interest was focused on a report by Valentina Kazakova, Chief of the Main Directorate for migration, Police Major-General, dedicated to the latest developments in migration legislation. Considerable attention was devoted to the issue of interaction with citizens from Ukraine. The regulatory framework for the reception and employment of Ukrainian citizens has been updated and improved due to the situation that has arisen in Ukraine and caused a flow of migrants to Russia.

Since 2014, more than 450,000 people have been provided temporary shelter and welfare services, and more than 350,000 people have become Russian citizens.

Valentina Kazakova also noted that the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for this category of persons had been simplified by Federal Law No. 544: ‘For humanitarian purposes, the President of Russia introduced a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions’.

In addition, as of 2 October 2019, highly professional specialists, having worked for a year, will be eligible for a simplified procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship. Also, as of 1 November 2019, residence permits will be given for an indefinite period and the list of categories of people eligible for a preferential procedure will be substantially expanded. Temporary residence permits will also be easier to obtain for a wide category of migrants.

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation was represented by Director of the Department for Implementation of Strategic Projects Yuri Parfenov who informed participants about the prospect of obtaining electronic visas for all those entering the Russian Federation in 2020. ‘The current trend in global tourism suggests unrestricted mobility and the freedom to visit any country. The introduction of electronic visas will increase the flow of tourists and make the process of obtaining a visa faster and easier. By submitting an application electronically on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a tourist will be able to obtain an eight-day visa free of charge’, he said.

The electronic visa technologies were first tested in 2017 in the Far East and during these two years, more than 160 thousand such visas were issued. Following that, electronic visas were launched in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.

‘It is planned to have the electronic visa technology implemented across Russia by 2020’, said Yuri Parfenov.

SUM Professor, Doctor of Political Sciences, Honorary Worker of the Federal Migration Service, Member of the Commission on Migration Issues and Social and Cultural Adaptation of Foreign Citizens of the Committee of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, Member of the Expert Advisory Council at the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Vladimir Volokh noted: ‘Today, authorities pay a lot of attention to the organisation of work on migration issues. In addition, the transition to electronic document management contributes to the further improvement of digital technologies and demonstrates the government’s openness. The university researchers, for their part, are ready to support innovative proposals for the development of advanced ideas, provide practical assistance to turn those ideas into applicable and useful technology’.

Doctor of Economics, Professor, Member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council on Inter-Ethnic Relations, Chairman of the Commission on Migration Issues and Social and Cultural Adaptation of Foreign Citizens of the Presidential Council on Inter-Ethnic Relations, Director of the Institute for Migration of Interethnic Relations Aslambek Paskachev said in his speech: ‘The more successful the adaptation of migrants is, the more active part they take in economic life. In Russia, economic migrants from various CIS countries not only work, many of them are developing their own businesses here. They do a great deal of good for their native countries, however, to some extent, Russia also benefits from this: we have a shortage of labour resources and migrants within the EAEU partly make up for it and contribute to the Russian economy’.

Professor, Doctor of Law at the State University of Novy Pazar (Serbia), Vice President of the Permanent Arbitration at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade, Member of the Board of the Association of Lawyers of the Black Sea and Caspian Regions, Honorary Lawyer of the Russian Federation Alexander Chirich outlined his position regarding the negative impact of globalisation on migration flows in the world as follows: ‘The countries affected by unfair financial competition and geo-economic attacks, such as credit shocks and the destruction of market infrastructure, are the victims of globalisation that destroys national economies. Uncontrolled migration is a direct consequence of this’.

Professor Horie Norio of the Center for Far Eastern Studies at the University of Toyama (Japan) focused on the issue of local-migrant relations. He called for seeking mechanisms that would reduce negative attitudes towards migrants and protect the rights of the local population.

Jean-Pierre Massué, Professor at the University of Strasbourg (France), Member of the Senate of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Member of the Senate of the European Materials Research Society, Member of the COPRNM (Advisory Council for the Prevention of Major Natural Hazards), President of the European Materials Research Society, showed a general rapid increase in the flow of migrants from Africa to Europe based on the example of the flow of migrants from Morocco to Spain. As a result, the risks for both migrants and locals in these countries are increasing. Jean-Pierre Massué believes that to streamline the migration process we need to improve its organisation and stability, as well as the protection of migrants themselves.

The forum proceeded to discuss practical mechanisms of effective migration regulation during round tables.

Check out photos from the forum here.