Labor immigration, anti-extremism measures and the decriminalization of the
gambling business were among the key issues the Russian president discussed
during a meeting with the leadership of the pro-Kremlin party Friday.
“Russia is interested in attracting workers and experts from abroad, and we
will consistently develop civilized relations in the labor migration field,”
Vladimir Putin told United Russia. The president called for the labor
migration environment to be improved to attract foreigners to the country
suffering an increasing demand for workforce. United Russia is the country’s
best-represented party with 2,555 branches nationwide and 999,546 members
(as of March 6, 2006). The party dominates the State Duma, parliament’s
lower house, many regional legislatures, and claims many governors as
members. In his speech, Putin highlighted the issue of social and cultural
adaptation of foreign employees in Russia, whose healthy integration in
society can root out the problem of interethnic and religious conflicts. The
problem came into the spotlight after the murder of two Russians in an
interethnic brawl in the northwestern town of Kondopoga sparked a wave of
racial violence in early September. The local community accused authorities
of failing to protect them or safeguard their interests, and of taking
bribes from criminal immigrant groups. Putin said the number of illegal
migrants in Russia may have reached 15 million. “According to current
information, only 500,000 out of 10 million foreigners working [in Russia]are [officially] registered,” the president said adding that their number is
likely to have been understated. Putin hailed amendments to migration laws
initiated by the party. “They simplify the registration of immigrants, on
the one hand, and envisage tough sanctions for illegal activity, on the
other,” he said. Putin backed party leader Boris Gryzlov’s idea to hold a
meeting between different parties on the problems of extremism. He spoke out
against using any extremism-provoking elements in political campaigns.
The Duma approved a bill this week on setting up four gambling zones to
tackle the rise in gambling outlets throughout the country. The president
proposed the new law after the Interior Ministry launched an operation to
check the financial, tax and sanitary-epidemiological documents of a variety
of gambling establishments in the capital allegedly linked to the Georgian
mafia.

Putin warned United Russia leaders of possible attempts to lobby for
increasing the number of gaming zones. “I am calling on United Russia not to
concede to such lobbying,” he said.