The deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the leader of political party “Rodina” Dmitry Rogozin initiates restriction of the rights of foreigners on conducting retail trade in the Russian markets. So, according to the Russian media, D. Rogozin has brought a bill to the State Duma forbidding to foreign citizens to be engaged in enterprise activity in sphere of retail trade of food and ware markets.

At the press conference taken place on October 17 at central office of “Interfax”, Dmitry Rogozin has confirmed that representatives of his party prepare the similar bill. He stated that the given bill is in relevant committee of the State Duma and “Rodina” insists on its prompt consideration. According to Rogozin, the given document is based on “the all-European norms - norms of Shengen and legislations of the European Community”. The Russian Member of Parliament has noted, that all priority rights on conducting retail trade should be at citizens of the state. « The sense of the bill consists in the following: to have an opportunity to be the participant of retail trade, it is necessary for foreigner to receive the special labor visa. We not against Azerbaijanis, Turkmens and other nationalities, but we see, that there is a capture by foreigners of the whole sector of economy, that the organized ethnic groups simply supersede our own citizens”.

It is necessary to note that Dmitry Rogozin in recent interview to the Moscow newspaper “Vedomosti” dated October 11, in the article “The Caucasians have bothered “Rodina”, stated that under its data, in Russia, 2000 ethnic criminal groups operate, but in sphere of trade has passed specialization. From the beginning of 90s, the Azerbaijan group densely supervises fruit-vegetable bases, and since July 2005, all Moscow bases are headed by Azerbaijani nationality”.

In connection with Dmitry Rogozina's statements, the embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia has made a statement in which is expressed concern on a lot of the reasons.

So, in the statement, it is marked, that “from the legal point of view, the point is on obvious infringement of the rights of foreign citizens fixed in the Russian legislation on the property, on work, other democratic rights and freedom, not speaking already on the obvious contradiction of the bill with principles of market economy”.

“In connection with above-stated, the embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia expresses hope, that by consideration of the given xenophobic bill, the State Duma of the Russian Federation will show a responsible approach inherent to it and will be guided by norms of the Russian legislation and interests of the multinational Russian Federation”, the statement says.