The Russian department for religious organizations and the department for national policy will merge into a structure focusing on cultural, religious autonomous organizations, diasporas and confessions, Kommersant reports.
General Mikhail Belousov, a former FSB member, will be the head of the new structure. Belousov will also join the presidential council to develop a concept of national policy.
Belousov is about 60 years old. He was working on domestic policy at the Presidential Administration in the 1990s and worked at the Security Council and FSB. He is an expert for interethnic relations.
The department for expert society will be transformed into the department for humanitarian policy to focus on public associations, education, culture. It will be under supervision of Pavel Zenkovich.
Dmitry Badovsky will be the head of the fund of the ISEPS. Timur Prokopenko will work with Rosmolodezh, associations of higher education centers and youth organizations. Oleg Morozov will supervise the department for political planning.
