"The European Union is right on that point, and Russia sees it. This is a problem Russia has to settle with its neighbors," he said in an Ekho Moskvy (Moscow Echo) radio live cast.
Readmission agreements comprise countries' mutual pledges to receive illegal emigrants back. The EU is linking agreement prospects with simplified visa issuance for Russian nationals.
Illegal migration is a major problem for Europe. "As far as I know, approximately half a million are illegally penetrating EU countries every year," said Yastrzhembsky. Illegal immigrants cause bad employment problems in their host countries, he added.
"Russia sees the great extent to which Europe is interested in settling the issue. We, too, have started doing something in that field, we are trying to limit immigration."
Meanwhile, "Russia is not quite ready yet to make a full-fledged readmission agreement with the European Union, and so to assume responsibilities not only for its own nationals but for third countries' citizens, too," acknowledged the presidential aide.
"We have major interest in making readmission agreements with China, North Korea, Turkey, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries from and through which illegal migrants are traveling.
"Russia's Foreign Ministry has, for today, offered such agreements to 28 countries. We expect agreements with Kazakhstan, Turkey and North Korea to come up before the year's end."
Sergei Yastrzhembsky highlighted material and certain other aspects of the illegal migration problem. "It takes quite some money to settle it," he remarked.
Compliance with human rights comes as another essential aspect. "To expel illegal immigrants is a very difficult problem. There is the Declaration on Human Rights to reckon with. What if an immigrant would not put up with expulsion? Russians share this problem with Europeans. Then, some people enter a particular country with a passport they allegedly lose as soon as they come to a EU country, and it is a formidable job to track them down to the country they have really emigrated," added the interviewee.
