"Today, those who have retained Russian citizenship receive pensions anyway. However, those who, at one point during the Soviet period, were more or less forced to renounce citizenship, cannot use their right to a pension, and this agreement will allow them to do this… We estimate that some 30,000 Israelis are receiving Russian pensions, and another 30,000 should start receiving one as a result of this agreement," Elkin said in an interview.
The agreement makes provisions for those who worked in the Russian Federation, or its predecessor, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, to receive Russian state pensions regardless of whether they have retained their citizenship.
"I think that they have included those who have some kind of earned rights, but have not reached retirement age. And, of course, they have included the 30,000 current recipients," Elkin said.
The Russian-born minister added that the agreement was likely to be ratified and Russia's pension budget to be adjusted by 2017.
Earlier, the Russian Labor Ministry said that the total number of Israelis possibly eligible for Russian pensions may be as high as 100,000.
Russian Jews migrated to Israel from the Soviet Union in large numbers throughout the 1970s when Soviet authorities lifted the ban on Jewish emigration. The next wave of Jewish emigration took place after 1989. Currently, Israel's Russian Jewish population amounts to around 1,000,000, according to the Israeli government statistics.
