An Inter Press Service Feature

HELSINKI, Dic 15 (IPS) - The fate of around one million 'non- citizens' living in the now independent Baltic republics of Estonia and Latvia remains uncertain after three days of talks at a special workshop on migration issues which ended here Thursday.

Open discussion and dialogue was the main target of the workshop entitled "Citizenship, Statelessness and the Status of Aliens in the CIS and Baltic States", which was organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

It examined the plight of the large Russian communities which remained in the two former Soviet republics after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

"This meeting was much more business-like and much less emotional than the first one we had on the theme last year," concluded Director General of IOM, James N. Purcell Jr.

He told IPS that the framework for discussions was now in place since almost all of the new independent countries which used to make up the former Soviet Union have formulated their laws on citizenship.

Armenia, which is locked in a bitter battle with Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, is yet to ratify such legislation.

The delegates representing 15 nations got the opportunity to examine the various laws adopted, and this alone was useful, according to Regina Pintman of the Estonian delegation: "It is excellent to get this information because every law can always be improved."

The main focus of the workshop was however, on the people who are left out of the law -- the "aliens" or 'non-citizens'.

The bulk of the "aliens" are Russians who moved and made their homes in the other republics of the former Soviet Union. Their status is of particular concern in Estonia and Latvia where they make up a major percentage of the population.

The leader of the Russian delegation, Abdulakh K. Mikitaev, who heads the department of citizenship matters Moscow, said he felt "morally better now there are no more Russian troops in the Baltic states".

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service