Moscow Caucasian Club discusses the nature of interethnic problems

Today, the capital of Russia hosted a meeting of the Moscow Caucasian Club. As the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian President in the North Caucasus Federal District Mikhail Vedernikov noted, session was devoted to the issues of international relations and related problems.

"We would like for an average citizen of Russia, looking at the problems within the country, to understand that there is a certain pressure and external influence on this situation," he said.

Answering the questions of Vestnik Kavkaza, Vedernikov spoke about three tasks of the Moscow Caucasian Club. "First, it is an expert platform for working on current and problematic issues that are related to the North Caucasus, first of all, those that have to do with young people from the region in Moscow. The second task is practical: we want the residents of the Moscow region to learn about history and culture of the peoples of the North Caucasus through the Moscow Caucasian Club, in order to ensure those integration processes that are necessary for the entire population of the country. The third task, of course, is to provide and objective information about what is happening in the Caucasus, about many positive developments in the region," he said.

He stressed that many problems, which are being called interethnic, are actually not. "Such problems are caused by everyday problems, land disputes or struggle for power. However, there are those who in their interests present these conflicts as interethnic. In order to resolve this problem, the authorities must work effectively in the regions and interact with the community," Mikhail Vedernikov pointed out.

At the event, the head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, expressed gratitude to organizers of the Club, calling it one of the most effective platforms for informing Russians about the North Caucasus. "We must prove today that the Caucasus is a part of a unified Russia. Look at what is happening in the world: they are trying to cynically blame us for all sorts of things. This club is designed to show all, including to the West, that our country is great and multinational," the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza quotes him as saying.

The head of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, Igor Barinov, who spoke after him, noted that today, despite the attempts to influence the situation in Russia from the outside, the Russian Federation manages to maintain unity. The Caucasus, according to him, is a special place on the map of Russia, where there is a unique symbiosis of different religions and customs. "This experience is unique not only for the country, but for the entire world," he said.

Professor of Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University, member of the Commission for Migration Affairs of the Council under the President of Russia on interethnic relations, Maya Astvatsaturova, spoke about positive aspects of life in the North Caucasus. "The trends are very encouraging, and I would say that they are the result of both the targeted activity of governing bodies and the nation’s intuition, because our people has a serious tradition of historical and cultural cooperation. Today we are talking about the fact that the population of the North Caucasus as a whole is aimed at stability, security, cooperation and mutual support," she recalled.