Estonian govt grants citizenship to 139

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Photo: Elmo Riig / Sakala

The Estonian government on Thursday endorsed the Interior Ministry's proposal to grant citizenship to 139 individuals.

One government resolution granted citizenship to 22 applicants on the condition that they are released from their previous citizenship. Seventeen of them are at present citizens of Russia, four of Ukraine and one of Pakistan, the governmental press service said.

By another resolution 117 persons with undefined citizenship were naturalized.

The government last year granted Estonian citizenship by naturalization to 1,332 individuals, 166 fewer than the year before, data of the Police and Border Guard show. In 2011 naturalized citizens numbered 1,498 and the year before that 1,184, the smallest number since restoration of independence.

The proportion of residents with undefined citizenship has steadily declined since Estonia regained independence. In 1992 stateless residents made up 32 percent of the population, in 1999 they accounted for 13 percent and now they account for 6.5 percent.

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