MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) has approved the first reading of the bill, according to which foreigners no longer have to give up their existing citizenship when being granted the Russian one.

Currently, when applying for Russian citizenship, foreigners must confirm that they had addressed their country’s corresponding bodies in order to give up their original citizenship. The new bill cancels this requirement.

Chairman of the State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Leonid Kalashnikov said that earlier, this measure was in place only for citizens of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR). "Today, we are approving this bill for the entire world, so that anyone who wants to obtain Russian citizenship does not have to abandon their previous one," he explained.

"We all understand the importance of approving this bill. We have raised this issue during the meeting with the president. Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] has heard the parliament, he supported it," State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said, noting that first and foremost, this bill concerns Russian compatriots abroad.

The second reading of the bill will be considered on April 17.