Passports to Dual Nationals to be Issued From June 17 Onwards
After a range of meetings, negotiations and consultations, which were initiated on May 7 and have continued until recently, the Russian and Turkmen governments have reached agreement on dual nationals residing in Turkmenistan. A press release posted on June 17 on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan states that: “Effective 17 June 2013 the Migration Service of Turkmenistan will start issuing new biometric passports to the citizens of Turkmenistan holding Russian citizenship.”
Chronicles of Turkmenistan has received reports that from the start of the year, only about 30 individuals have submitted applications to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Turkmenistan to renounce Russian citizenship. A total of 43,000 dual nationals holding both Turkmen and Russian citizenships reside in Turkmenistan. During Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Turkmenistan, which according to preliminary information is scheduled to take place in late August, it seems unlikely that the situation with regard to dual nationals will be on the agenda.
Only dual nationals who hold Russian citizenship as a second citizenship will be pleased with the news about issuing biometric passports starting from June 17. Passports for dual nationals holding Turkish and Iranian or European citizenships are not scheduled to be issued yet.
Source: Turkmenistan Chronicles
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