DUSHANBE, November 27, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Tajik working group led by the Deputy Minister of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population, Nourullo Mahmadulloyev, is currently in Moscow to discuss with Russian officials new draft labor migration cooperation agreements, according to the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population (MLMEP).

An official source at a MLMEP says the delegation members include representatives of the Migration Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Justice and the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).

The Tajik working group will stay in Moscow till November 29, the source added.

We will recall that Tajikistan and the Russian Federation have signed two labor migration cooperation agreements so far.

On October 5, 2012, the Migration Service under the Government of Tajikistan and Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) signed in Dushanbe the memorandum of intent on easing some of the registration restrictions for Tajik migrant workers coming to Russia.

On February 8, 2013, the Migration Service under the Government of Tajikistan and Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) signed in Moscow the agreement on staying of Tajik nationals in the Russian Federation.  The agreement, in particular, provides for extending the period for registration for Tajik nationals on their arrival in Russia from seven to fifteen days.

Labor migrants are a critical component in the economy of Tajikistan and their remittances keep many families in the country above the poverty line.