MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russian authorities plan to open training centers abroad for foreign workers that will teach them Russian before they come to the country, a Russian Labor Ministry official said Tuesday.
The centers, where foreigners will also study Russian history and law, will be launched as part of a state program encouraging migration to Russia, said Svetlana Nechayeva, director of the ministry's employment department.
The program is aimed at ensuring successful integration and adaptation of foreign workers in Russia as well as promoting tolerance in society. The government is also seeking to draw back highly skilled workers who left Russia for abroad.
Some 14 million foreigners arrive in Russia every year, about a third with the goal of finding a job. Most come from neighboring former Soviet republics Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. About a million foreigners could be working illegally in the Russian capital.
