The Izvestia Russian newspaper contacted Vadim Krasnoselsky for comment on progress in the practical implementation of the Russian President's decree on the simplified procedure for Pridnestrovian residents to obtain Russian citizenship. According to the PMR President, over 60000 applications have been submitted so far.
Regarding the issuance of passports, Vadim Krasnoselsky responded: "The mechanism is working, but passports are not yet being issued. According to Russian Federation law, citizenship applications submitted to consular offices are processed within six months. It should be noted that since the adoption of the Russian Presidential Decree, comprehensive efforts have been made to optimize all procedural aspects as much as possible. This includes the situation related to the recent increase in consular fees, which created objective difficulties for Pridnestrovians in exercising their rights under the decree. This issue is currently being resolved: everything will be solved in the interests of the people. I am confident that the process of processing documents related to the acquisition of Russian citizenship by Pridnestrovian residents will become through joint efforts even more accessible, convenient, and expeditious".
Vadim Krasnoselsky was asked about the significance of the decision made regarding the Pridnestrovian. "The decision of the President of the Russian Federation was a crucial signal to the Pridnestrovian people that Russia has not forgotten its compatriots in Pridnestrovie, is ready to support them, and protect their rights and interests, including through a simplified citizenship procedure. Nearly half a million people live in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, of whom more than 220000 are already citizens of the Russian Federation. For the remaining hundreds of thousands of Pridnestrovian compatriots who maintain close historical, value, religious, cultural, and humanitarian ties with Russia, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation has opened the opportunity to strengthen this connection at the level of the legal status of Russian citizenship," Vadim Krasnoselsky responded.