Ministry of Internal Affair calls Depardieu to Belarus

The famous French actor is being enticed by a residence permit in Belarus.

The head of the citizenship and migration department of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs Aliaksei Biagun told about that to the Interfax-Zapad news agency.

“As a citizen of Russia he will use the freedom of movement in accordance to the international agreements on equal rights for freedom of movement and the choice of a place of residence within the Union State of Belarus and Russia”, - Biagun said.

“Now as a citizen of Russia he has the rights to choose Belarus as the place of residence. And he will receive a residence permit in the due course, if we receive an application. According to the legislation, he can move within Belarus with a Russian passport in the framework of the visa free regime”, - head of the department noted.

However, according to Biagun, Depardieu did not apply for a Belarusian citizenship so far.

“Like in Russia, in Belarus the issue of granting a citizenship is an exclusive competence of the president. So far he did not receive such a appeal (from Depardieu - Interfax)”, - Biagun specified.

“On its part the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus will, of course, prepare a motion in accordance with the legislation. And if an appeal comes in, they it will promptly report to the ruler”, - the head of the department pointed out.

We would remind that at the beginning of December 2012 Depardieu moved from France to Belagium because of the 75% luxury tax, which the president François Hollande was planning to introduce. The French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the actor’s deed pathetic, which Depardieu considered an insult and threatened to refuse the French citizenship. On 3 January the president of Russia Vladimir Putin signed a decree providing the actor Gérard Depardieu with a Russian citizenship.