Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved the structure and financing of the Federal Agency for Nationalities, the official website of the Cabinet has announced.
The agency, which will be located in Moscow, may have "up to three deputy heads, including one State Secretary – the Deputy Head – as well as up to four offices in key areas of the agency in the structure of the central office."
An accompanying certificate stated that the new structure shall have the functions to develop and implement the state national policy, legal regulation and provision of public services in the state national policy and interaction with the Cossack communities; to implement measures aimed at strengthening the unity of the multinational people of the Russian Federation, ensuring inter-ethnic harmony, ethnic and cultural development of peoples, protection of national minorities and indigenous people; for interaction with national-cultural autonomies, Cossack communities and other civic society institutions.
The agency is vested with the formulation and implementation of state and federal target programs in the field of international relations; to oversee the implementation of the state national policy; with the implementation of state monitoring in the field of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations; with the prevention of all forms of discrimination on the grounds of racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic identity; with preventing incitement to racial, national and religious discord, hatred or enmity.
