MIGRATION SERVICE DIRECTOR ROMODANOVSKIY ON NORTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 011778 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2016 TAGS: PREF PREL RS SUBJECT: MIGRATION SERVICE DIRECTOR ROMODANOVSKIY ON NORTH KOREANS, STATELESSNESS IN RUSSIA Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. Reasons 1.4. (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Federal Migration Service Director Konstantin Romodanovskiy told PRM/Admissions Director Terry Rusch October 6 that Russia would consider resettlement of North Koreans to the U.S. on a case-by-case basis, repeating what other GOR interlocutors have told us previously. Separately, Romodanovskiy said that the GOR had enacted legislation offering further opportunities for former Soviet citizens who were living in Russia and now stateless to obtain Russian citizenship. Romodanovskiy expressed an interest in further cooperation with the U.S. and other countries experienced in migration and is seen by our contacts as someone trying to reform the migration service. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Federal Migration Service Director Konstantin Romodanovskiy and members of his staff met with PRM/Admissions Director Terry Rusch, DHS Chief of Refugee Affairs Barbara Strack, Deputy Chief of Refugee Affairs June Tancredi and refcoord October 6 to discuss the possible resettlement of North Koreans to the U.S. and other potential cooperation between the FMS and its U.S. counterparts. North Koreans -------------- ¶3. (C) Rusch began the meeting by thanking Romodanovskiy for FMS' assistance with the resettlement of Meskhetian Turks to the U.S. and noted that the GOR,s experience with the statelessness issue positioned it well to play an active role within the international community in addressing it. She noted that the purpose of her visit to Russia was to participate in a workshop sponsored by the USG and the International Organization for Migration to train NGOs in how to refer cases to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Rusch noted that the GOR was revising its laws on refugees and expressed U.S. hopes that it would enhance protection for asylum seekers. ¶4. (C) Turning to North Koreans, Rusch explained the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act and U.S. interest in resettling North Korean asylum seekers to the U.S. if they so desired. The U.S. understood the sensitivities of this issue for the GOR given its relationship with North Korea, and it appreciated the GOR's willingness to work with UNHCR and the ROK in resettling North Koreans in South Korea. There had been instances, including when a North Korean had approached the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, expressing interest in third country resettlement The U.S. Government hoped that if an asylum seeker desired to go to the U.S. rather than South Korea, the GOR would allow the United States to process the case. ¶5. (C) Romodanovskiy said that there were North Koreans in Russia and that their status varied. Each year, about 20-30 of them were resettled to South Korea through UNHCR and the ROK. Romodanovskiy stressed that the FMS did not have sole responsibility for these issues, and it worked in conjunction with other GOR agencies, the MFA and others, that also have to be involved. Statelessness -------------- ¶6. (C) Rusch raised the issue of statelessness in Russia. Romodanovskiy said that the collapse of the Soviet Union had created a burden for Russia, which had to absorb forced migrants from within the former Soviet space, care for internally displaced persons from Chechnya, and deal with refugees from third countries such as Afghanistan. Among them were Soviet citizens who were now stateless and needed to be integrated into Russia. Romodanovskiy said that, during the last year, it had granted citizenship to 508,000 people, of whom 210,000 were former Soviet citizens who had delayed seeking Russian citizenship. The GOR realized that there were several thousand more, and early this year, President Putin signed a law extending the deadline for Soviet citizens in Russia to claim Russian citizenship until ¶2008. ¶7. (C) Romodanovskiy said the FMS continued to implement reforms and wanted to cooperate with the U.S. and other Western countries and that the GOR had initiated the G-8 experts meeting on migration that had just concluded in Lisbon. One of the key issues for the FMS was further MOSCOW 00011778 002 OF 002 development of its visa regime, but is was also interested in broader issues of migration and the processing of refugees and asylum seekers. Strack noted that USCIS would be pleased to organize briefings for Romodanovskiy or his staff in the event of a visit to the United States. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The FMS has had difficulties defining its missions and its goals as a result of constant GOR reorganizations and a lack of leadership. Our contacts at UNHCR and elsewhere have welcomed Romodanovskiy's leadership in taking charge of the organization and his interest in cooperation. They note, however, that as a result of the reorganizations and merger with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FMS has developed a law-enforcement mentality. BURNS