OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities visits Moscow and Kazan

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Lamberto Zannier visited the Russian Federation from 22 to 26 July 2019, for the second time since taking up his mandate in 2017. Zannier continued his dialogue with the Russian authorities about minority issues both inside and outside Russia and took stock of inter-ethnic relations in the Republic of Tatarstan. 

In Moscow, the High Commissioner met with the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several committees of the State Duma to discuss minority issues in the OSCE region, with a particular emphasis on the areas of language, education and citizenship. He also exchanged views with representatives of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs and presented the nine sets of thematic recommendations issued by the HCNM.

“I noted Russia’s extensive experience with managing inter-ethnic relations and encouraged the authorities to make use of the expertise of my office regarding integration with respect for diversity,” he said.

In Kazan, the High Commissioner had the opportunity to make a first-hand assessment of inter-ethnic relations in Tatarstan, where several languages are recognized as official languages. In his meetings with the Chairperson of the State Council and Republican authorities Farid Mukhametshin, Zannier discussed the impact of recent changes to both the education policy and to the legal arrangements between the Federal Government and the Republic.

“Tatarstan has a long tradition of promoting constructive and harmonious relations between the different peoples living in the region. It is important that changes in language and education policy at the federal level take its specific situation into account, including regarding the teaching of the Tatar language,” said Zannier.

The High Commissioner also visited Kazan Federal University, one of the oldest universities in the Russian Federation, and explored opportunities for further co-operation.