Adygea: Syrian Circassians report problems with receiving Russian citizenship

Circassians who come to Adygea from Syria have no official status of repatriates, and cannot receive Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure, a woman migrant from Syria has stated.

According to the administration of Adygea, for today, 880 Syrian Circassians live in the republic.

A woman named Sibakhate, a resident of the aul (village) of Panakhes, came to Adygea from Syria two years ago, but still cannot get a residence permit. No simplified procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship is applied for repatriates from Syria, she told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"We have neither refugee nor repatriate status; therefore, we can’t claim citizenship like any other foreigner. To obtain a residence permit, we need to confirm a permanent income source, but you can’t get a job officially with a Syrian passport," Ms Sibakhate has stated.

According to her story, Russia is tightening the rules of entry for Syrian refugees.

"It’s very hard to send private invitations to fellow countrymen from Syria; we constantly receive refusals. We are regarded as an Islamic threat, it’s very insulting," she said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.