The foreign minister explained his reasoning by citing labor shortages, but stressed that foreign workers need to comply with Russian laws

Reducing the number of migrant laborers in Russia would not be in the interests of the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

The diplomat pointed out that Russia is currently experiencing a labor shortage. Taking measures that would further decrease the number of laborers would make plans for the country's development "less realistic," he told a press conference following his visit to Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

However, Lavrov also noted that it was crucial to prevent the formation of "criminal tendencies" among foreign workers and to make sure that migrant laborers comply with Russian laws.

Lavrov's comments come as Russia's Ministry of Internal affairs has moved to crack down on illegal immigration over the past year. More than 190,000 foreign nationals were expelled from the country in 2024, it reported.

In February, the ministry's deputy head, Alexander Gorovoy said that there are an estimated 670,000 illegal migrants in Russia, most of whom are women and children. The department also stated last month that law enforcement agencies had identified over 1,300 cases of forgery of migration documents since the beginning of the year.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering the creation of a new state agency within the Interior Ministry tasked with enhancing immigration governance.

The Kremlin explained that the move is meant to bring order to the migration process and enforce measures that promote compliance with Russian laws among migrants and reduce illegal activity.

Meanwhile, during talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in May of last year, Putin declared Russia's readiness to cooperate with Tashkent on all pressing migration issues and promised that Uzbek citizens legally residing in Russia would be provided with decent working conditions.

Putin also expressed his gratitude to the nearly 1 million Uzbek nationals living in Russia, most of whom work in the construction, housing, transport and logistics sectors. He stated that their contribution to the Russian economy is valued.

(RT.com)