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South American pop star Natalia Oreiro applies for Russian citizenship

She said that Russian border guards were often giving her souvenir passports as a gift

Natalia Oreiro Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

Natalia Oreiro

© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, June 15./TASS/. Latin American singer and actress Natalia Oreiro has filed for Russian citizenship, she said in an interview with TASS.

"Once I went to the embassy (of Russia to Argentina - TASS) over various issues. I travel so extensively and have so many ties with Russia that I was asked that maybe I would like to formalize this. I said that it would be an honor for me. So, I filed a host of papers that I was asked to turn over, and now this is being considered," the singer said in the interview.

The celebrity reiterated that it all had started with a joke at the ‘Urgant Late Night Show’ on Channel One TV. "I was a guest on Ivan Urgant’s program, and he said that I was the most Russian among the female foreign nationals. I answered that I had no doubts about it. And I said that Putin could grant me the citizenship. I meant it as a joke, not as a request, but of course I would want very much to have Russian citizenship," she stressed.

Natalia Oreiro said that Russian border guards were often giving her souvenir passports as a gift. "At the moment, I have a lot of Russian passports I have received from my fans as a gift, about 15. But none of them are real," the singer said.

‘Our Natasha’

Natalia Oreiro was born on May 19, 1977 in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. At the age of 16, the teenage actress moved to Argentina where she became a success. At the turn of the 21st century, Oreiro became famous across the globe thanks to the Argentinian soap opera called ‘Wild Angel’ in which she played the role of Milagros. Oreiro has combined her acting and singing career, releasing four records. Oreiro’s first visit to Russia came in 2001, and she says that she felt spiritually close to the country right away.

"I felt very close to these people, to their culture and history. The history of Russia is a powerful history, full of bravery, courage and resilience. I have always admired not only how [Russia] surmounted the pain of war, but also its art. I am a fan of Russian writers and poets," she emphasized. Since then, Oreiro has been visiting Russia on tours almost every year, and she has a huge fan club. Her fans call her ‘our Natasha’ for sincerity in her work and for being an easy person to deal with. She is learning Russian, and has performed Russian-language versions of her hits. For the 75th Victory anniversary, she sang ‘We need one victory for all’ - a famous war song by renowned Soviet poet, writer, songwriter and singer Bulat Okudzhava.

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