Tajikistan asks Russia to speed up the process of ratification of agreement on organized recruitment of Tajik labor migrants

Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), says this issue was discussed at a meeting between Shukurjon Zuhurov, Charmin of the Majlisi Namoyandagon  and Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma (Russia’ upper house of parliament) that took place here on October 19.  

In the course of the talks, Zuhurov reportedly asked Volodin to promote acceleration of ratification of government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Russia on organized recruitment of labor migrants in Tajikistan.  

Russian parliament speaker, for his part, noted that Tajik nationals last year remitted 2.5 billion U.S. dollars from Russia to Tajik banks through the money transfer systems, which amounted to one third of Tajikistan’s gross domestic product (GDP).  

“We must do everything so that those who have chosen Russia as the place of work would be specialists and know Russian,” said Volodin.  “Those who know Russian will succeed in fulfilling themselves as skilled specialists and will be able to obtain education and stay [in Russia].” 

“We must participate in dialogue with labor migrants more actively,” Russian parliament speaker said calling to switch to “more civilized forms of labor migration.”

He also pointed to the necessity of establishing labor migration cooperation between the regions of the two countries. 

Volodin also called on his Tajik counterpart to intensify work of the Tajikistan-Russia Joint Parliamentary Commission that reportedly met for the last time eleven years ago.  

Recall, Chairman of Russia’s lower house parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, arrived in Dushanbe on a three-day official visit on October 18. 

Vyacheslav Volodin (born February 4, 1964) is a Russian politician who has served as the 10th Chairman of the State Duma since 5 October 2016.

He is a former aide to President Vladimir Putin.  The former Secretary-General of the United Russia party, he was a deputy in the State Duma from 1999 until 2011 and from 2016 to present day. From 2010 until 2012 he was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. He is also a former first deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia.

The State Duma, commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma, is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house is the Council of the Federation.

The Duma headquarters are located in central Moscow.  Its members are referred to as deputies. The State Duma replaced the Supreme Soviet as a result of the new constitution introduced by Boris Yeltsin in the aftermath of the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993, and approved by the Russian public in a referendum.

Any Russian citizen who is age 21 or older is eligible to participate in the election may be elected deputy to the State Duma.  However, that same person may not be a deputy to the Federation Council.  In addition, a State Duma deputy cannot hold office in any other representative body of state power or bodies of local self-government.  The office as deputy of the State Duma is a full-time and professional position.  Thus, deputies to the State Duma may not be employed in the civil service or engage in any activities for remuneration other than teaching, research or other creative activities.

The State Duma forms committees and commissions.  Committees are the main organs of the House involved in the legislative process.  They are formed, as a rule, according to the principle of proportional representation of parliamentary associations. Chairmen of committees and their first deputies and deputies are elected by a majority vote of all deputies of the parliamentary representation of associations.