The Inter-ministerial Working Group on introducing new-generation passports and visas has just held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Presidential Aide Viktor Ivanov.
The working group’s main task is to develop measures to include biometric identification data in passports for foreign travel.
Introducing the new-look passports is a priority for the state and should be completed before 2006. This deadline is explained by the fact that other major countries plan to introduce similar types of passport for their citizens in 2005.
As Mr Ivanov noted, if Russia lags behind in this area it could lead to discrimination against Russian citizens when they go through passport and visa control abroad.
Since August 2003, the working group has held consultations with European partners, has monitored the existing technology in the area and drawn up a new set of tasks.
According to Mr Ivanov, the main objectives now are to create the normative-legal base, ensure the financial and economic conditions needed to introduce the new passports and also develop foreign policy measures to harmonise and achieve mutual recognition of personal identification technology used in passports and visas.