President of Russia: Dmitry Medvedev sets up a foundation to support compatriots living abroad

The President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree which stipulates establishment of a foundation aiming to support compatriots living abroad and protect their rights. By decree the foundation is to be established in 2012.

It will be set up by the Foreign Ministry and Federal Agency on the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo).

The Board with an executive director at its head will run the foundation. Apart from this, the foundation will have a Governing Board featuring 5 members and a Board of Trustees. The decree doesn’t specify surnames.

The urgency of establishment of the foundation is explained by the aim “to render assistance to compatriots living abroad, necessary to protect their rights and legitimate interests in countries of residence”.

Compatriots living abroad are the citizens of Russia, who permanently live outside the Russian Federation; persons who used to be the citizens of the USSR, lived in former member states of the USSR, acquired citizenship of these states or became stateless; and also their children. For this category is provided a simplified procedure of citizenship acquiring.