Permanent Secretary Nerg met Russian First-Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Gorovoy

Permanent Secretary Päivi Nerg met Russian First-Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandr Gorovoy in Moscow on 14 June. The meeting focused on cooperation in migration issues between Finland and Russia and the migration situation in the two countries. The duties of the Russian migration administration are very similar to those of the Finnish Immigration Service.

"First-Deputy Minister Gorovoy and I discussed migration policy, administration and practices in our countries. In my view, this type of information exchange is important — the more we understand and know about each other’s legislation and practices, the more effective our cooperation in the field of migration will be", Nerg stresses.

In March 2016, Finland and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further develop and deepen cooperation in migration issues.　 To implement the Memorandum of Understanding, meetings and seminars will be organised focussing on exchange of information and experience. In connection with the meeting of the Permanent Secretary and the First-Deputy Minister, there was also a bilateral expert-level meeting on readmission issues.

Permanent secretary Nerg also visited the multifunctional migration centre in Moscow. It is the largest migration centre in Russia and it processes applications for work and residence permits, for example. At the centre, residence permit applicants take language and cultural tests and undergo medical examination as part of the permit process.

Inquiries:
Katarine Lindstedt, Senior Specialist from the Ministry of the Interior working at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow, tel. +358 50 3422825, [email protected]