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Russian Duma interested in cooperation with UN on protecting rights of national minorities

Russian parliament member Anton Morozov said Duma wants closer cooperation with UN Human Rights Council in "protecting the rights of ethnic Russians residing in neighboring territories"
Russian State Duma in session Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
Russian State Duma in session
© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

GENEVA, November 23. /TASS/. Russian parliemant members are interested in expanding cooperation with UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in the sphere of protecting the rights of national minorities, member of the Russian State Duma's committee on international affairs Anton Morozov told TASS on Friday.

Morozov took part in the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law held in Geneva on November 22-23.

"We want closer cooperation with the Council [UN Human Rights Council] on the issue of protecting the rights of ethnic Russians residing in neighboring territories," Morozov said noting that this concerns "Ukraine, the Baltic States and other post-Soviet republics."

"We are seriously concerned by the situation in Ukraine. They are our brotherly people, and the fact that they do not allow to receive education and communicate with the authorities in people's native language is, by UN standards, a flagrant violation of human rights," he continued.

There are "many opportunities for cooperation" with parliament members from other countries and HRC on the issue of national minorities rights. "We exchange information and try to draw attention via international mechanisms [to violations of rights of national minorities], to help restore the rights of people who need it," he stressed.

Morozov said that his speech on the issue of violations of rights of national minorities was heard with great attention at the forum. In particular, he talked about discrimination of non-citizens in the Baltic States and noted that the HRC "should pay more attention to this matter."

"Of course, there is an element of politicization and mainstream in the Western media which forms a particular attitude toward a problem. However, we intend to actively participate in such events as this forum," he added.