Near Abroad to Become Real Abroad

Beginning next year, CIS citizens will be admitted into Ukraine only on production of what is known here as external passport. This decision is valid for all the commonwealth states except Russia and Belarus. Kyiv planned this step long ago. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from time to time made announcements about certain consultations with former fraternal republics. However, when making such announcements, Ukrainian diplomats always hastened to note that this would not occur today or tomorrow and there was no cause for panic. The impression sometimes was that Kyiv itself did not know what it wanted. On the one hand, it fueled rumors and speculation among the grassroots, while triggering negative comments in the Russian press. On the other hand, they hastened to reassure everyone that nothing serious has happened or will. The embassies of some CIS countries, which the decision will affect directly, had not the faintest idea about it.

The main reason why Ukraine had to resort to this seemingly radical measure is that its geographical position is attractive for illegal migration — halfway between East and West, right on the road of Asian immigrants to the developed states of the EU. It is difficult now to say whether Kyiv made this decision to play up to the Brussels bureaucrats who are so much worried about the transit of illegals across Ukrainian territory or this is simply how Ukraine is caring for its security. Yet, whatever the implications of the decision, it still has a number of drawbacks and is certain to have an equal number of unpleasant consequences. First, Ukraine has seen a drastic fall in the number of illegal migrants over the past few years. The huddled masses from Asia must already be well aware that smugglers line their pockets at their expense and then turn them over to border guards. They also seem to know perfectly well about tightened border control in both the EU countries and Ukraine. Moreover, the European Union has promised us to help set up checkpoints on our western border. Secondly, the Ukrainian diplomats’ argument that external passports are more difficult to forge than internal ones does not appear overly convincing. The point is that most countries to which Kyiv’s latest decision refers will simply remain unaffected.

The Day’s correspondent was told at the Embassy of Armenia that in their country there is just no difference between internal and external passports. What they have is a unitary passport with an exit stamp: Armenian nationals use this document without any problems both within and outside their state. The same situation exists in Uzbekistan. A similar situation exists in other CIS Asian states, where, although there are two passports, the external passport is used in any case for traveling abroad. Turkmenistan maintains a visa regime with us. It is Moldova that does seem to be very happy with the Ukrainian decision, for its citizens could until now travel to Ukraine on only their internal passports.

What will the Ukrainian citizen win as a result? Most likely, he/she will be able to travel to most CIS countries starting next year only if with an external passport. In any case, the Armenian side is already prepared for this, The Day learned from the consular section of the Armenian Embassy in Ukraine.