MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The multi-ethnic world that has emerged in Russia needs to be protected as a strategic element of national security amid growing foreign challenges, Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy speaker of the Federation Council, told the 5th All-Russia Forum of the Federal Agency for the Nationalities Affairs "Peoples of Russia."
"Undoubtedly, amid growing challenges from outside and attempts by our adversaries to undermine us from within by playing the nationalist card it is extremely important to protect the established interethnic peace as a pillar of Russian statehood and as a strategic element of national security. But we must not forget that our model of coexistence of different ethnicities and cultures on one land is also a factor of our strength and attractiveness against the background of the other, failed models of integration, multiculturalism, melting pot and similar concepts," Kosachev said.
He considers it part of the nationalities policy not only to protect interethnic peace in Russia, but also to project it outward as a means of soft power. According to Kosachev, the Russian model of multi-ethnic statehood, on the one hand, is unique in its effectiveness. On the other, it is universal and applicable in other multi-ethnic states.
"This is especially evident in the former Soviet republics. All of them exited from the Soviet Union quite definitely not as mono-ethnic entities. They had their own minorities, they had their own autonomies, but, alas, some of these neighboring republics opted for a policy of hardline nationalism and monoculture, which led not only to the failure of the mission to ensure unity, but also to violent conflicts on ethnic grounds, as well as to stripping huge segments of the population of their rights," Kosachev stressed.
Speaking about the official nationalities policy, Kosachev noted that it is now "at a very specific stage, when we have to solve sometimes multi-vectored tasks in one package."
"These tasks do not contradict each other. They do not exclude each other, but they require a set of measures and most certainly sure - coordinated action by all participants. For example, such an acute problem as migration, of course, implies protecting society from uncontrolled flows of representatives of other states and cultures, preventing interethnic conflicts and excessive strain on the social system, on the one hand. But of course, it is also necessary to welcome those who have come legally, and it is important to solve the acute problem of labor shortage, as well as to maintain a normal climate in relations with our neighbors in the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union. Of course, it is always necessary to keep in mind the respect for human rights, which is without any doubt universal," Kosachev said.