Migrant workers, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: the two faces of the Central Asian exodus to Russia

MOSCOW (AsiaNews) – Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – reads the article by Asianews that we publish – are the two Central Asian countries from which the largest number of labor migrants go to Russia; at the same time, they are also two very different ethnic and political realities, with different approaches and historical conflicts that are also reflected in the condition of compatriots seeking fortune. Restrictions on entry and activity of migrants in Russia continue for everyone, but the reactions of state bodies differ significantly.

Tajiks stranded by the dozens at Moscow airports. They complain about the complete absence of representatives of their embassy in Russia, who do nothing to help them solve the problems. The Tajik authorities claim that the pressure on migrants is not attributable to Russian politics, but is the result of media campaigns, while the Kyrgyz authorities are making formal protests to protect their compatriots. The deputy foreign minister of Bishkek, Almaz Imangaziev, complained about this to the Russian ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Sergei Vakunov, while expressing “understanding for Russia’s concerns about the guarantees of the country’s security”.

Kyrgyzstan’s most attentive policy. The impression is that Kyrgyzstan has a migration policy that is more attentive to the needs of its own migrants, considered essential for the country’s economy, referring to the rules of theEurasian Economic Union (Eaes) to guarantee their rights. The Kyrgyz diaspora within Russia appears to be much more organized than the Tajik one, both in mutual support among compatriots and in relations with Russian institutions and its consular representations, proving to be more flexible and effective in various initiatives.

Tajikistan’s system is more centralized. Both at home and abroad, and any decision requires the approval of the authorities at the highest level. Tajiks in Russia have their hands tied, the consulates do not intervene to resolve the various conflicts, and from Dushanbe it does not seem that labor migrants are considered so important for the economy, indeed the statistics regarding them are often distorted and put in the background.

Kyrgyz citizens number approximately 600 thousand. According to official data, Kyrgyz citizens who have received Russian citizenship are currently around 600 thousand, and there were over a million before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while labor migrants are around 400 thousand. A figure that, added together, still brings the presence of Kyrgyz on Russian territory to the figure of one million. According to the EAES regulations, all of them enjoy full labor rights. Hence the protest of the vice-premier of Kyrgyzstan, Edil Bajsalov, who expressed disappointment with the latest Russian restrictions that prevent migrants from accessing the sectors of health, education and goods courier services when their salary exceeds 100 thousand rubles (about a thousand euros).

The dispute over migrant numbers. The number of Tajik citizens and migrants in Russia remains a matter of debate in relations between Dushanbe and Moscow; the Russians speak of over two million, while the Tajiks claim that it does not go beyond a few hundred thousand. According to the Ministry of Labor of Tajikistan, in the first six months of 2024, the migration flow to Russia decreased by 16%, remaining under 400 thousand people, mainly due to pressure against Tajiks after the attack on the Krokus City Hall in Moscow in March, attributed to Tajik terrorists of ISIS-K of Velayat Khorasan.

A flow of money close to six billion dollars per year. Tajiks have also protested with the Russians, such as during the meeting between Emomali Rakhmon and Vladimir Putin, when the Tajik president stated that “terrorism has no nationality,” without this leading to an improvement in the conditions of Tajik migrants in Russia. Tajikistan nevertheless receives from its migrants a flow of money close to six billion dollars per year, about double the value brought by the Kyrgyz, who are trying to defend this crucial sector of their social and economic life more carefully.

* Vladimir Rozanskij – Asianews