Emigration issue looms large in Kyrgyzstan

Alla Pyatibratova 1/23/03

The establishment of a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan should help the Kremlin project its strategic influence in Central Asia. Russian and Kyrgyz officials also hope that Moscow's military presence can assist in reversing an undesirable trend in which hundreds of thousands of Russian-speaking residents have emigrated from Kyrgyzstan since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

All Central Asian states to a greater or lesser degree have witnessed the exodus of Russian speakers in the post-Soviet era. Economic necessity, namely a shortage of jobs in Central Asian states, has pushed many Russian speakers to leave, a large majority of them seeking to build a new life in Russia. Other Russian speakers have departed, saying they have been made to feel unwelcome by the adoption of legislation designed to promote the cultural traditions of the respective states' titular populations.

The steady stream of emigration has had a debilitating impact on the economic development of Central Asian states, as many departing Russian speakers were skilled workers or professionals, including doctors, engineers and teachers. Over the past decade, the number of Russian speakers in Kyrgyzstan has declined to about 600,000 from roughly 1 million in the early 1990s. Russian speakers are defined as all those whose chief language is Russian, including ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, Belarussians and other ethnic groups.

The emigration trend has slowed in recent years, with between 20-25,000 Russian speakers leaving Kyrgyzstan each year since 2000. In 2002, Russian officials processed about 60 percent fewer immigration applications than the previous year, Boris Assaulyuk, a Russian immigration official in Bishkek, told the Interfax news agency January 16.

The drop does not necessarily reflect a decrease in the desire of Russian speakers to emigrate from Central Asian states. Assaulyuk admitted that one factor for the drop in applications was tighter Russian citizenship and residency requirements. Russia is increasingly wary of welcoming newcomers, in large part because of security concerns stemming from the ongoing war in the renegade province of Chechnya. Another factor governing Russian immigration policy is the substantial costs of accommodating newcomers.

Assaulyuk expressed hope that the Russian air base at Kant, outside Bishkek, would help Russian speakers feel more secure, and thus encourage them to remain in Kyrgyzstan. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives]. "The population of the republic now feels that Kyrgyzstan is not alone in combating international terrorism," Assaulyuk said.

Anecdotal evidence, gathered in conversations with Russian speakers who planned to immigrate to Russia, found that geopolitical developments, including the struggle to contain Islamic radicalism, were not the most significant factor guiding their decisions. Instead, economic issues, namely the dearth of job prospects, were the most frequently cited reasons for leaving.

"I am only 42, have several specialties, but I am unemployed," said Alexander, who was applying to leave. "My family lives in poverty and I don't think the situation will improve. That's why we decided to leave for Russia."

Others who plan to leave expressed reluctance over their choice, but stressed that they lacked viable alternatives. For example, 34-year-old Tatyana said she possessed a higher degree, adding that she could not find work. She said that her husband is in Russia and that his income supports her and the couple's two children. "This is the way we live, but the family must be united and this can be done only in Russia," she said.

Many, like Tatyana, express concern about future prospects for their children. Russian-language educational opportunities, they note, have declined dramatically in all Central Asian states, as has access to Russian-language media, including television broadcasts. Delaying departure risks putting their children at an educational disadvantage that could limit career prospects in Russia, some Russian speakers say.

"It's very hard to realize our [Russian speakers'] socio-cultural needs," said Valery Uleyev, a civil rights advocate based in the southern city of Jalalabad. "The educational system in Russian loses its quality. The informational space is reduced. Almost all Russian people are unemployed."

Southern Kyrgyzstan has been especially hard hit by emigration. In Jalalabad Province, for example, there are approximately 18,000 Russian speakers, whereas in 1991 there were 87,000, according to official estimates. As elsewhere in Central Asia, the number of emigrants was highest immediately after the Soviet collapse – from 1991-94. Emigration levels settled during the mid 1990s and then picked up again in the late 1990s. A significant factor propelling the so-called "second wave" of emigration was Islamic radicalism, embodied by an insurgent campaign carried out by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan starting in 1999. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Domestic political instability also leaves many Russian speakers nervous about the future. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives].

Today, Russian speakers seeking to leave must contend with a growing number of obstacles to emigration. One barrier is poverty. A large proportion of Russian speakers still in Central Asia are pensioners. In the southern Ak-Sui Region, for instance, virtually all of the 348 ethnic Russians still registered as living in the area are elderly and impoverished.

Financing a move to Russia is now beyond of the means of many, including younger city dwellers. Given the lack of a large market for real estate in their home countries, many prospective émigrés are unable to raise, through the sale of their apartments or houses, the necessary amount of money to pay transportation and resettlement costs.

Even those with sufficient funds are encountering new bureaucratic barriers. For example, Russian legislation approved in 2002 restricted the ability of ethnic Russians in Central Asian states and elsewhere to obtain Russian citizenship.

Decreasing the desire of Russian speakers to emigrate will depend largely on the Kyrgyz government's policies, suggested Uleyev, the civil rights advocate. To reverse the trend, Uleyev added, the government has to demonstrate a greater commitment to making Russian speakers feel welcome. "It's difficult to foresee the situation in future," Uleyev said. "A lot will depend on the ruling elite of the republic. The goals, strategy of thinking and behavior of national minorities in the republic will depend on the ability of the ruling elite to guarantee equal development of all citizens irrespective of their nationality."

Editor's Note: Alla Pyatibratova is a Kyrgyz journalist.

Posted January 23, 2003 © Eurasianet