In late March vice-Premier Dmitry Kozak and the head of the Ministry for Regional Development Viktor Basargin presented their project on creation of a new system of administrative bodies for inter-ethnic relations to PM Vladimir Putin. The new system has places both for the PM and the President.
Valery Kadokhov, First Deputy Head of the Federation Council Committee for federal organization, regional policy, local self-government and affairs of the North Caucasus
The system of federal organs requires a special body responsible for the questions of ethnic development and the interaction of ethnicities. It should not be some standard body. This authority and the person who heads it should be able to see all the horizons of the country. They need to have a coordinative role. The current structure – the Ministry of Regional Development - seems to be working fine, I encounter it frequently in my job, but it is overburdened. If we put its functions on the scales, the social and housing problems will outweigh everything. Ethnic questions are hidden in regional policy and special programs initiated by the government, because the main reason for ethnic tensions is seen in the lack of prospects for young people. But there are other questions that are overlooked by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Regional Development and other institutions that have to work on it, taking into account also that the current year was declared to be the Year of History. If we look in the past, we will see that both in tsarist and Soviet times there was a special body for ethnic policy, in different forms, but there was at least a certain analytical center. We have many depressed regions, but the position is to just send them money. But we should rather ask why the local authorities and families cannot answer the question what children and teenagers are doing, while they are walking around with weapons in their hands. Therefore our conversation today and the activity of the authorities, including the legislative ones, should be aimed at educating youth in a patriotic spirit and old values.
Alexandr Zhuravsky, Director of the department for ethnic relations, Russian Ministry of Regional Development
The sphere of ethnic relations and state ethnic policy, which includes the harmonization of ethnic relations, creation of civil unity, a Russian nation of the multi-ethnic people of the Russian Federation, as is formulated in the Constitution, the question of cultural pluralism – all these questions are interdisciplinary, and one body cannot cover all these. The Ministry of Regional Development is responsible for devising the policy and the legal regulation, but it was repeatedly said that there is a need for a collegial organ, we need a higher degree of coordination than the level of the Ministries, because there are questions of migration, culture, education in national languages, security questions and many others. The formulated proposals were discussed on March 22nd. What is this about? It is proposed to create a Council for ethnic relations with the President at the head. The Council can include representatives of civil institutions, autonomous ethnic regions, bureaucrats, experts. A wide circle of professionals. The council will have a presidium headed by the prime-minister that would include ministers and the representatives of the bodies responsible, for different aspects of ethnic policy. This is about a collegiate organ and decision-making. The Council is a collegiate organ, the presidium is coordinative. In addition it was proposed creating a post of ombudsman for ethnic relations, like we have ombudsmen for human or children’s rights. This position will be under the president, but this person will be able to independently work on the appeals, monitor society together with civil institutions and ask awkward questions. This is his function. Interaction with international organizations, including human rights ones. And another question concerns the executive organ on the federal level that would be a work horse. It was suggested leaving the functions of ethnic policy with the Ministry of Regional Development, because there is a close connection between regional policy and the ethno-cultural aspect. However, because the Ministry is overburdened, Dmitry Kozal suggested that the housing and communal economy questions can be removed from its authority, and the Ministry will be renamed the Ministry of Regional Development and Ethnic Relations or Ministry of Regional and Ethnic Policy.
Vladimir Khmeriki, President of the Congress of Ethnic Associations of Russia
We are now looking for a structure and system that will be harmonious and that will appeal to many nationalities, smoothing out contradictions and preventing them. As for the proposed structure, I believe that the Ministry of Regional Development took it very seriously, it works with many ethnic organizations and their opinion was taken into account. As for a ombudsman for ethnic affairs, I do not think that this position is necessary or attractive. I believe that we need a Ministry for Ethnic Affairs. But if our government does not want this structure, then we can talk about a coordinative council to deal with ethnic and migration policy. Because now migration questions hide ethnic relations. All our inter-ethnic relations encounter this big migration, that is almost unregulated in Russia and provokes a lot of ethnic tensions. Here we need either a Ministry or this very serious coordinative council. But we need a complex. We need society, presidential authority to provide ideology and methodology, and of course the executive authority that we were talking about now – either a ministry or coordinative council.
Albir Krganov, member of the Public Chamber for ethnic relations and freedom of conciousness
Russia is a unique country, it is multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, and this country of course needs one body to coordinate ethnic policy. I am glad that this topic was discussed on the level of the prime minister, now elected president. It was very interesting. There are many questions in the regions, there is a question of the decisive instrument. The head of the state will participate here, the prime-minister will participate, the ombudsman will convey to them the questions that bother us. This is good. But who will deal with it on the regional level? Will the heads of the regions have these ombudsmen? Or it will be the Ministry? The Ministry of Culture, the Ministry for Ethnicity? Who will it be in concrete terms?
Alii Totorkurov, Head of the executive committee of the Russian Congress of the Peoples of the Caucasus
In our country ethnic questions are the top priority in internal policy. Ethnic and social questions. All other questions are important but these two are super-important, because the existence of our country depends on them. The question of ethnic relations is there for a long time. We should have opened it earlier, but it's better to do it now than never. The structure offered is in my opinion the best. As Mr Zhuravsky said, we have many Ministries connected to ethnic policy – the Ministries of Culture, of Education and of Regional Development. We need to take decisions in one place so that all the ministries will use it in their work. It is difficult to do it within one Ministry, and the decisions of the Ministry of Nationalities are not mandatory for other ministries, I think that a Council that will take strategic decisions and send them down to the Ministries is the best system.
Alexander Brod, Director of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights
The new organ should be really interdisciplinary, combining the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Regional Development in order to discuss the questions and turn them into programs. But I think that there should a public discussion about these bodies, a working group that includes experts to elaborate the concept of these bodies. Perhaps there could have been an internet discussion, as there was with the law about the police, so that wide circles of the population could put forward their suggestions.
