Russia to Open Special Centers in Armenia and 7 Other Countries

Russia plans to open special centers in eight countries to provide consular services to its compatriots. This was announced by Alexey Klimov, head of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, to TASS.

According to him, the countries in question are Argentina, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

“Relevant organizations will start addressing issues related to the regulation of their legal status in foreign countries as soon as possible. Henceforth, citizens interested in consular services will have an alternative option to apply directly to a foreign institution, allowing them to receive the required documents from the respective information and advisory center in the shortest possible time without waiting for their turn at the consular establishment,” Klimov said.

In his opinion, the opening of such centers aims to reduce the waiting time for applicants and increase the throughput of Russia's foreign establishments in light of the significant growth in the number of Russian citizens living abroad over the past two years and the exponential increase in demand for consular services.

The listed eight countries are included in a project by the Russian Foreign Ministry aimed at expanding the list of countries where organizations under the ministry can assist Russian consulates in conducting separate consular operations and accepting applicants' documents.