Moscow hosts press conference on ethnic consolidation

Moscow has held a press conference for the federal purpose program on strengthening consolidation of the Russian nation and ethnic-cultural development of its people (2014-2020). The program explained and clarified by Alexander Juravsky, Director of the Department for Interethnic Relations of the Russian Ministry for Regional Development, Mikhail Remizov, President of the Institute for National Strategy, Margarita Lyange, President of the Guild for Interethnic Journalism, Sergey Markov, a member of the Russian Public Chamber, and Boris Mejuyev, Director of the Novaya Ploshchad Foundation.

Juravsky emphasized that Russia was the successor of the USSR and the Russian Empire, two states that had always been multiethnic but socially single. He said that the Russian civilization was unique, because its people had preserved their identity and distinctiveness. The expert believes that it is too early to evaluate the program.

Mejuyev noted that the main advantage of the federal program is that it acknowledged that Russia needed to learn to live with different ethnicities in order to survive. It is essential for Russia to assimilate the cultures of the ethnicities.

Lyange stressed that the path taken by adoption of the program was correct, because it had undergone intensive discussions.

Markov added that realization of the program and enforcement of solidarity of the nation needed decriminalization of diasporas.