23 September 2003 17:39
Migrants ensure population growth in Russia`s Kaliningrad
September
[No dateline, as received] The population of Kaliningrad Region grows mainly owing to migration, Kaliningrad Region
governor Vladimir Yegorov has told Ekho Moskvy radio. In 1989-2000, the population increased by 84,000 people, Yegorov
said. The growth is ensured in the first place by migrants from Central Asia, mainly from Kazakhstan. No trends towards
ethnic conflicts are observed in the region, he said.
The region's population is nearing one million people, whereas the region requires twice as much, Yegorov went
on to say. The region has enough jobs, industry and especially agriculture are short-staffed. The birth rate is not high
in the region - 16,000-16,500 people die every year and only 8,500 births are registered, Yegorov said. At the same
time, the birth rate has increased by 1,000 people in the past year, he added. Yegorov voiced a hope that the dynamics
would continue.
The region renders assistance to young families, especially those with many children. "Unfortunately, there are
only 5,000 such families in the region," Yegorov said.
Some 3,000 AIDS patients are registered in the region and a unique AIDS centre has been set up, he said.
[Ekho Moskvy news agency] |
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