Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations on May 18

On May 18, President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, two sources close to the Kremlin administration told Vedomosti. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to Vedomosti’s request. The council’s agenda includes a discussion of updating the State National Policy Strategy, says one of Vedomosti’s interlocutors. The current strategy was signed by the head of state on December 19, 2012 and expires in 2025.

On the eve of the meeting, seminars-meetings on the implementation of the strategy will be held in the regions. For example, on May 11 in Orenburg, such a seminar is scheduled for vice-governors from the regions of the Volga Federal District (the curator of the Kremlin’s domestic political bloc, Sergei Kiriyenko, is one of Putin’s two deputies on the council). Traditionally, such meetings, together with the plenipotentiary, are held by the deputy head of the presidential administration, executive secretary of the council, Magomedsalam Magomedov (the former head of Dagestan has held this position since 2013).

Since the last version of the strategy was written, personnel changes have taken place within the Presidential Department for Domestic Policy (UVP, in which, since 2012, operational work has been directly focused on the topic of interethnic relations, with national diasporas and communities). FSB officer Mikhail Belousov, who left the post of deputy head of the UVP, was replaced in 2021 by Anatoly Vylegzhanin, a native of the same service. The fact that stability in the sphere of interethnic relations is important, according to Vedomosti, he recently told “political” vice-governors at one of the seminars in preparation for the elections.

The agenda of the meeting of the presidential council on May 18 will include many issues, including a discussion of the strategy, Ildar Gilmutdinov, a member of the council and first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities, told Vedomosti. “The term of the strategy is coming to an end soon, it needs to be extended,” the deputy notes. – The current strategy was positively accepted by the society, there were no serious comments to it, since a large number of experts participated in its development. She turned out to be very kind. Therefore, it is possible that it will be extended, but some changes will be made, or a new one will be adopted, but taking into account the current strategy.”

New territories should be reflected in the strategy, Gilmutdinov believes: it is necessary to take into account the interethnic situation in these regions. “The influence of external factors on national policy in Russia should also be reflected,” he said.

In recent years, many fundamental documents have been updated, so the new version of the National Policy Strategy should take into account the changes, the deputy noted. On March 31, 2023, Putin signed a decree approving the concept of foreign policy, on January 25, 2023, the foundations of the state cultural policy were updated, on November 9, 2022, the foundations of the state policy for the preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values ​​were approved, etc.

At the meeting of the council, issues of supporting the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia may also be raised, since the formation of regional structures, governing bodies is now underway and the congress of the organization is being prepared (the president signed the decree on the creation of the organization on November 13, 2020), adds Gilmutdinov.

The existing strategy in modern conditions associated with a special operation, pressure from the West, has shown its effectiveness, no one has managed to bring discord into interethnic relations, says another member of the council, former Minister for National Policy Vladimir Zorin. “But life is changing. Changes were made to the current strategy in 2018, when there was no turbulence and Russophobia. It is also important to preserve the common goals of the national policy – support for ethno-cultural diversity and strengthening of civil unity. In the new edition, some provisions need to be clarified in connection with the existing risks,” he says.

The last meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations with the participation of the President was held on March 30, 2021 via videoconference. Then the main topic of the meeting was “strengthening the all-Russian civic identity.” The council, which will take place on May 18, is planned to be held in person, says one of Vedomosti’s interlocutors.