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Russia government to decide whom to appoint to head new nationalities agency

The prime minister will sign a decree on appointing the agency’s head

NOVO-OGARYOVO, March 31 /TASS/. The appointment of the head of the Federal Agency for the Affairs of Nationalities lies in the competence of the Russian government under which the new body in going to function, Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

"The prime minister will sign a decree on appointing the agency’s head," Peskov stressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree to establish a Federal Agency for the Affairs of Nationalities.

"The agency will work out and pursue a state nationalities policy; engage in statutory regulation and render state services in the sphere of state nationalities policy; carry out measures designed to strengthen the unity of the multi-national people /nation/ of the Russian Federation; ensure inter-ethnic accord and ethno-cultural development of the peoples of Russia; protect the rights of national minorities and indigenous small ethnic groups," the Kremlin press service said.

The new body, according to the press service, is also supposed to maintain contacts with national-cultural autonomies; Cossack communities and other institutions of civil society; develop and implement state and federal target programmes in the sphere of inter-ethnic relations; control the implementation of state nationalities policy as well as exercise state monitoring in the field of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional relations.

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