MOSCOW — Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says that Russia must stem the flow of foreign migrants to its sparsely-populated eastern regions and prevent the emergence of enclaves populated by foreigners.
Medvedev didn’t
name any specific country, but his Thursday’s statement marked a rare
official acknowledgement of a threat posed by the influx of Chinese
migrants to the remote and economically-struggling region.
Russian
political experts and the media have long voiced fears about the
growing number of Chinese migrants in border areas, saying their
presence may eventually weaken federal control over the region.
Medvedev
told a Cabinet session that it’s necessary to “protect our fareastern
territories from excessive expansion of citizens of neighboring
countries.”
