In his speech, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District Vladimir Bulanin noted that government agencies are giving serious attention to preventing and countering extremist crimes on an ethnic and religious basis. A system for migrants’ socio-cultural adaptation is being established in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District, and financing has been increased for state programmes aimed at strengthening Russian civic identity, maintaining cultural heritage and ethno-cultural development for the peoples of Russia. According to Mr Bulanin, the work has resulted in a noticeable drop in interethnic tensions in the federal district.
Speaking at the meeting, Magomedsalam Magomedov noted progress in the regulatory and organisational work aimed at implementing the state ethnic policy, and defined current objectives, which include ensuring goal-oriented and systematic efforts to provide a patriotic education to youth and preventing manifestations of nationalistic ideology simulating Nazi ideas.
In addition, Mr Magomedov stressed the need to enhance work with ethnic associations, including with the goal of preventingthe spread of foreign political influence on those groups, as well as provocations directed toward the formation of hotbeds of ethnic tension. Objectives were also set for meeting participants to monitor the activities of foreign nongovernmental agencies within the federal district’s territory, countering their attempts to use ethnic clashes in the country to impose destructive political and cultural beliefs on the population.