Error Correction on the Compatriots Issue

Some days ago Russian and Baltic media outlets published articles where Russia is said not to no visa entry across its border to non-citizens of Latvia and Estonia. Similarly, some weeks ago the media disseminated the news that Moscow reportedly denied visa-free entry to non-citizens from the Baltic region. This was breaking news, but the reasoning was insufficient—the journalists were right only partially correct.

As a matter of fact, no one «took» visa-free entry from Latvian and Estonian non-citizens, just as no one «had pity» and then «gave it back». The issue was connected to a shortsighted legal document. Baltic non-citizens gained the right to enter Russia without a visa eight years ago by Presidential Decree No. 977 of June 17, 2008. Part B of the Decree states that non-citizens of Latvia-born after February 6, 1992, have the right to visa-free entry into Russia after they turn 18, given that one of their parents born before February 6, 1992, was a Latvian non-citizen when they were born. For entry into the Russian Federation and departure from the Russian Federation, minor children of the specified persons shall have an alien passport and the certificate of birth. The perspective conflict of laws was hard to foresee—the oldest minors at the time the Decree was signed were 16 years old.

REUTERS / Ints Kalnins

The mistake remained unnoticed. And in the end, various legends arose, where difficulty and divergence of the Russian laws indemnified no duty to abide by them. The issue popped up in 2016; Oksana Karaja, a student from Latvia who wanted to continue her studies at a Moscow university arrived at a Moscow airport and found out she couldn’t enter the country. The documents she had were not enough to cross the border. The girl became a victim of judicial circumstances and legal succession issues.

It is also important to point out not only the issue itself in this story but also the reaction to it. On the one hand, the Russian Embassy to Latvia came up with a detailed clarification highlighting the deficiency of law. On the other hand, this case led to the mobilisation of Russian-speaking social activists and politicians in Latvia. Tatiana Zhdanok, MEP and co-Chairwoman of the Latvian Russian Union addressed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in an official letter asking to make the necessary amendments in the regulations that impeded visa-free entry to Russia for young non-citizens. «Violation of non-citizens’ rights is inconsistent with Russia’s declared policy of supporting its diaspora abroad and undermines Russia’s prestige»,—underscored T. Zhdanok in her letter. A similar plea to the Russian government was made by the Parliament of the Unrepresented, Latvia—a non-governmental organisation—that has accepted responsibility for representing non-citizens within the country and abroad since 2013.

One might have thought that the pleas made vanished into smoke or faced Russian bureaucratic red-tape: the Baltic region is de-facto not in the focus of interest for Russian foreign policy; the issue concerns a very small group of people (there are about six thousand young people in this age category in the Baltic region). Moreover, Moscow’s compatriots’ policy failure being widely criticised is quite common—it’s all about balalaika and kokoshnik, and no real measures are taken. That is why the young non-citizens’ issue was, without prejudice, not a complex one, but just a matter of principle.

Generally speaking, the reaction to the issue from the Russian side inspires optimism—it was quite prompt. For example, the Parliament of the Unrepresented received an answer from the Presidential Administration of Russia after a few days, stating that the issue was discussed and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. As a result, the foreign service prepared a draft Presidential Decree, where-under visa-free entry to Russia is available for those Latvian and Estonian non-citizens who were born both before and after February 6, 1992. The document will be signed soon and the irregularity will be closed. This case might be an example of effective cooperation between organisations of Russian compatriots abroad and Russian government—hopefully, it’s not the case of any man being presumed innocent until he has been declared guilty.