Participants in the Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan recalled a difficult period in the history of the republic and talked about extending the agreement on the division of powers with Moscow

The Third Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan brought together over 700 delegates in Kazan, who represented all municipalities and national-cultural organizations of the republic. The participants talked about ethnocultural development, interethnic peace, and interaction with civil society institutions. But the event became significant thanks to the discussion of the agreement between Tatarstan and Moscow. The delegates insisted on appealing to the federal authorities to extend the document that was fateful for our republic. The corresponding clause was added to the congress resolution. A Realnoe Vremya correspondent attended the event.

Shaimiev: “The 1994 Treaty can be extended”

The third Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan was the first in the last decade. Previous meetings were held in 1992 and 2007 and had a great influence on strengthening interethnic peace in the republic.

The task of this forum is no less important - to find approaches for effective national policy at the state level, say the meeting participants. Over 700 delegates represented the entire multinational Tatarstan: 30% Tatars, 18% Russians, 7% Chuvash, 3.5% each Mari, Udmurts, Armenians, Mordovians, about 2.5% Tajiks and Azerbaijanis, etc. Almost half of them are leaders and members of national-cultural autonomies, a quarter are representatives of other public organizations.

At the beginning of the event, the guests were greeted by State Councilor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. Calling the congress an event of special importance in the public life of the republic, he thanked those who stood at the origins of the multinational movement of Tatarstan. I recalled the difficult conditions in which the first similar forums took place. I thanked the leadership of a renewing Russia for their support and understanding, which was manifested both in the policies of Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin.

The First Congress of Peoples was followed by the signing in 1994 of an agreement on the delimitation of jurisdiction and powers between the state authorities of Russia and the state authorities of Tatarstan. In the year of the Second Congress, a second agreement was signed, which consolidated the republic’s relations with the federal center strictly within the framework of the existing constitutions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan, noted Mintimer Shaimiev.

The Third Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan gathered over 700 delegates in Kazan

The State Advisor emphasized that the agreement does not provide for any tax or financial and economic benefits for Tatarstan and must be extended.

Today, given the creative nature of this agreement, as a result of which we have achieved the successful development of the republic, it has the right to life. The treaty can be extended without making any changes to its content - as a constitutional norm that helps strengthen the federal basis of our state, Shaimiev added.

Later, the importance of the document was emphasized by one of the delegates of the congress, the people's poet of the republic, Zinnur Mansurov.

I am confident that the country's President Vladimir Putin will show his inherent wisdom and political foresight in this matter. Addressing the leader of our country, I want to say: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! Tatars and all Tatarstan residents can be trusted. We have not let you down and will not let you down! - Zinnurov noted.

A participant in the congress spoke about the need to appeal to the federal authorities with a request to extend the agreement with Tatarstan. Later, such a clause was actually added to the congress resolution.

The State Advisor emphasized that the agreement does not provide for any tax or financial and economic benefits for Tatarstan and should be extended

Tatars are interested in a strong Russia

Interethnic peace serves as a basic principle of development, says Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov. Speaking at the congress, he noted that long-term good neighborly relations are the main competitive advantages of our republic.

The uniqueness and strength of Russia lies in the friendship and unity of peoples. I believe that such positioning of the country is extremely important in the international arena. This is especially relevant recently in the context of growing interethnic conflicts, aggravation of interfaith and intrareligious relations,” said Rustam Minnikhanov.

In his speech, the president mentioned that “enemies inside and outside our country” are trying to politicize the ethno-religious sphere in order to weaken the state and split Russian society. However, the Tatars, according to him, are interested in a strong Russia, which guarantees the successful development of national languages, culture, traditions and customs of the peoples of the entire country.

Multinational Tatarstan was named the pearl of the country by Magomedsalam Magomedov, deputy head of the presidential administration and executive secretary of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations.

For our state, where representatives of 193 ethnic communities with equal constitutional rights live, civil and interethnic harmony is one of the main conditions for the existence of the state itself. And the fact that I have been instructed to speak on his behalf shows how highly the president appreciates this congress,” noted Magomedsalam Magomedov.

“For our state, where representatives of 193 ethnic communities live, civil and interethnic harmony is one of the main conditions for the existence of the state itself,” noted Magomedsalam Magomedov (pictured in the center)

“I received a hat as a gift from Shaimiev, and when I got to Moscow, I received a hat each”

The speech of the head of Dagestan turned out to be perhaps the most discussed. Ramazan Abdulatipov more than once brought smiles to the audience and received applause. In his speech, he called the Tatars a great people, and one of their “greatest achievements” was unification with the Russian people.

Like no other, the Tatars adorn Russia! Historically, Tatars have always been among the intellectual, industrial, sports, and cultural elites of the country. And therefore they turned out to be closer to Moscow than the Caucasians. But the Caucasians are not going to give in, said Ramazan Abdulatipov.

In the world, according to him, you cannot find a better friend or enemy than the Caucasians. As an enemy, they will pursue you for 100 years, and as a friend, they will give their lives for you. “The Tatars do the same, that’s why they are also highlanders,” the head of Dagestan joked.

Abdulatipov also recalled how in 1994 he helped Tatarstan obtain its own citizenship. When he spoke in parliament, declaring that the republic was even ahead of Russia in reforming its society, only four people voted against the resolution of the Supreme Council.

I then received a hat from Shaimiev, and when I got to Moscow, I received a hat each. I then said: “If any of you, deputies, can squeeze more out of this Supreme Council, go and squeeze it.” I am telling this not to show my role in history, but to show that you have gone through a very difficult path. And thanks to the wisdom of Mintimer Shaimiev and Boris Yeltsin, the agreement took place,” the head of Dagestan emphasized.

The speech of the head of Dagestan turned out to be perhaps the most discussed

At the same time, he noted that there was not a single day when anyone from the leadership of Tatarstan thought about secession from Russia. Therefore, Abdulatipov called the state councilor of the republic “an expression of the historical wisdom and courage of the Tatar people.”

The main law of human development is continuity. He [Shaimiev] acts in accordance with this law. He left behind an excellent, efficient team, and this is already an achievement. Rustam Nurgalievich is one of the most effective leaders among all subjects of Russia, and Chairman of the State Council Farid Khairulovich is always nearby. The Dagestan people love Tatarstan and consider its people close to them, concluded the head of the Caucasian republic.

With these words, Ramazan Abdulatipov presented Mintimer Shaimiev with the highest award of his republic - the Order of Merit for the Republic of Dagestan.

“Before, we were surprised by everything abroad, now there is nothing to surprise us there”

Following the results of the congress, as part of the press approach, Rustam Minnikhanov emphasized the importance of peace and harmony between the peoples of the republic. I reminded you of the telegram with Vladimir Putin’s address to the forum participants, which already speaks of its significance.

We remember the 90s, what the situation was like in Tatarstan and in Russia in general, what discrepancies there were. By finding a common language with everyone, creating such an assembly system, building relationships with religious structures, involving public organizations and authoritative persons of our republic in their work, we ensured stability. “All this is thanks to the wise leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the established legislative framework, both at the federal and regional levels,” the President of Tatarstan emphasized.

The congress itself is another great opportunity to communicate with representatives of different nations and hear their opinions, he noted. This way the authorities will know the interests of the people who live here. According to him, every year life in the republic is changing for the better, but some people do not want to notice this.

The congress is another great opportunity to communicate with representatives of different nations and hear their opinions, says Rustam Minnikhanov

We remember that when we went abroad 25-30 years ago, we were surprised at everything. Now we come abroad, and there is nothing else to surprise us there. “We have had everything that is there for a long time, and we are setting more ambitious goals,” he noted, adding that “without peace and harmony, of course, there will be no prosperity, unity and power of the country.”

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Vasiliev noted the role of both the leadership of Tatarstan and public organizations in strengthening interethnic peace:

People who create an atmosphere of friendship, hard work and success are what makes Tatarstan different today. This atmosphere attracts people not only in Russia, but also abroad. It so happened that there was a student from Serbia here, and he said that in his homeland he really missed this atmosphere of peace in a big house,” Vasiliev emphasized.

This is a fundamental requirement; there is no other approach in the life of a multinational state. In this, Russia is unique - it is not the Arab world, where only one nation and religion lives. We have a multi-confessional country and republic,” summed up the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Vasil Shirshov, photo gossov.tatarstan.ru

On April 22, the III Congress of the Peoples of the Republic of Tatarstan will take place, the main task of which, according to the organizers of the forum, is to unite all nations, nationalities and communities, support their languages, culture and spirituality, preserve interethnic peace and harmony in Russia.

The Congress is convened in accordance with the decree of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan. To date, 730 delegates have already been elected, representing all municipalities and national-cultural organizations of the republic. An “Ethnocultural Relay Race” dedicated to the congress is taking place throughout the republic. It includes a wide range of different events. The publication of a special issue of the magazine “Our Home – Tatarstan” will be timed to coincide with the congress.

The first congress of the peoples of Tatarstan was organized in 1992. It was initiated by the Interethnic Kazan Community Center. A new public organization approached the authorities with a proposal to hold a congress of the peoples of Tatarstan and was supported by President Mintimer Shaimiev. The idea came to life on May 22. Representatives of almost all large national diasporas living in the republic gathered together to discuss the problems of realizing the national needs of people. The congress slightly smoothed out the aggravation of interethnic relations caused by the creation of the Milli Majlis and the toughening of the demands of supporters of the national independence of Tatarstan.

Its result was the emergence in the republic of the Association of National-Cultural Associations and the first House of Friendship of Peoples. After the adoption of the federal law

The Second Congress took place in Kazan ten years ago, in November 2007, and brought together more than 700 participants and about 300 guests, including from near and far abroad. The Congress delegates were presented with the Concept of the State National Policy of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Later, the Association of National-Cultural Associations was transformed into the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan. Now on this platform everyone, even the smallest diasporas, can equally interact with each other, as well as with the institutions of government of the republic, receive the necessary support if necessary and participate in the public life of their small homeland.

By the decision of the Founding Conference of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan on December 8, 2007, Farid Mukhametshin was unanimously elected Chairman of the Council. He was then re-elected several times and currently holds this post.

President Rustam Minnikhanov first spoke about the need to hold the Third Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan in his message to the State Council in September 2016. This year, in addition to delegates from Tatarstan, guests from the federal center, other regions, and also from abroad have been invited to the congress.

Irek Sharipov, Director of the House of Friendship of Peoples of Tatarstan, deputy of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan, member of the Committee on Education, Culture, Science and National Issues:

A whole era has passed since the first and second Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan. The First Congress took place during the most difficult years of the formation of the new Russia. The places of subjects in the federal field were determined. And Tatarstan was formed as a multinational republic, in which the rights of all peoples living in the republic were designated. Then the task was set to ensure their harmonious development, preservation and development of cultures, traditions, and customs.

But everything is changing rapidly. The current Congress will take place against the backdrop of interethnic conflicts throughout the world. We see new phenomena, such as international terrorism. Against the backdrop of all these phenomena, Russia looks like an oasis of stability in the field of interethnic and interfaith relations. And now we are faced with the task of maintaining this stability, protecting ourselves from negative phenomena, and in the future strengthening these mutually enriching relations between the peoples of our country, as well as building good neighborly relations with other countries.

The forum will include photo exhibitions “The Many Faces of Tatarstan” and “We are Part of Russia”, as well as expositions of the Houses of Friendship of Peoples and arts and crafts. The congress will end with a gala concert, which will take place at the M. Jalil Theater. It will be attended by the Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Milyausha Tamindarova.

As part of the congress, he tours the republic. The first concert of the tour took place on April 16 in Leninogorsk. April 19 group with an orchestra of folk instruments " Kazan Nury» under the direction of the Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Rasima Ilyasova performed at the Palace of Culture Nurlata with the Friendship of Peoples program. The concert program included ritual music of the peoples of Europe and America, throat singing of the Bashkirs, Georgian and Armenian chants, Russian and Kryashen folklore, songs of the Nagaybak Tatars and Cossacks and other ethnic delights.

The Friendship of Peoples program will also be presented by a choir and orchestra April 21 in Kazan(House of Friendship of Peoples, starts at 18.00), April 24 in Naberezhnye Chelny(City Palace of Creativity, starts at 18.00) and April 26 in Elabuga(City Palace of Culture, starts at 18.00).

Additional Information

State Chamber Choir of the Republic of Tatarstan founded in 2007. The ensemble took part in many international and Russian festivals, among them: “Nevsky Choral Assemblies”, Valery Gergiev’s Easter Festival, “Creation of the World”, International Opera Festival named after F.I. Chaliapin, International Festival “Music of Faith”, VII International Organ Festival music (Perm) and others.

Orchestra of folk instruments "Kazan Nury"– a highly professional team, with virtuoso brilliance of performance, takes part in numerous competitions and festivals. The team successfully tours the cities of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Volga region, Russia and abroad: in Holland, Tunisia, Germany, Malta, Italy and Greece.

Based on materials from the Information Center of the House of Friendship of Peoples of Tatarstan

The Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan, held the other day in Kazan, left nothing but bewilderment. At the event, for which they were preparing, perhaps, no less than for the summit of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, nothing interesting or important was said.

The congress, which brought together about seven hundred participants and three hundred guests, was held in the “warm, friendly atmosphere” of Soviet gatherings of leading production workers. The “importance of continuity of the socio-political course pursued by Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, aimed at the development of Russia as a sovereign, truly federal democratic state,” noted in the resolution, took up a surprisingly small place in the speeches of the delegates.

Neither the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Chairman Oleg Morozov, nor the Minister of Regional Development Dmitry Kozak (who sent his deputy Kamil Iskhakov, the former mayor of Kazan), nor the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Alexander Konovalov (represented by the Deputy Vladimir Zorin), who were expected in vain at the congress, nothing didn’t get lost by getting busy with other urgent matters. Characteristically, the next day Plenipotentiary Konovalov found time to defend the liturgy in honor of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

The only thing that left a pleasant impression was the exhibitions in the lobby of the meeting room. There were photographs and handicrafts - dolls in national costumes, silver bracelets and necklaces decorated with semi-precious stones, and festive tables with pastries and wine (which, naturally, distinguished the Georgian diaspora of Tatarstan), and cute compositions, like the smiling Tatar Babai and Russian grandfather Ivan, sitting nearby on a village bench. All this was so beautiful and tasty that many delegates and guests did not rush into the hall, where the most boring welcome telegrams from representatives of federal and regional authorities were read out.

Some of those present, listening to all this, almost fell asleep. Mintimer Shaimiev's short greeting attracted attention. “Tatarstan has always been a home for people of different nationalities,” the head of the republic recalled. “The previous congress took place in a difficult time of interethnic tension, but our republic was able to avoid the worst. We were able to ensure the progressive socio-economic development of the Republic of Tatarstan. Today Tatarstan is one of the most developed regions of the Russian Federation, and this is the merit of the multinational people of the republic." It is symbolic that the congress met on the eve of the elections to the State Duma and the Russian President, President Shaimiev added, expressing confidence that those gathered shared the opinion on the need to continue Putin’s course of development of Russia, the fight against xenophobia and national extremism.

But the hall finally woke up during the speech of the Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Tajikistan Ramazan Abdulatipov. First of all, he congratulated those gathered “on the holiday of friendship of the peoples of the Republic of Tatarstan.” “Good calls for friendship throughout Russia come from Kazan,” says Mr. Abdulatipov. “I hope they will reach everyone.”

Tatarstan’s successes have been achieved at a high price: “Mintimer Shaimiev and his team work 24 hours a day,” the ambassador said. “At the head is the president, and next to him is my friend Farid Khairulovich Mukhametshin (Chairman of the State Council and the organizing committee of the congress),” Ramazan Abdulatipov continued, and Mintimer Shaimiev, unable to bear it, interrupted: “So, I am the president, and he is a friend ?". “But you are still my friend,” he added with a smile after a short pause. “You are older, you must confirm this,” Ambassador Abdulatipov found a way out. Then the head of Tatarstan advised everyone to buy Ramazan Abdulatipov’s book, “small in form and very deep in content.” “It’s hard to find,” thought President Shaimiev. “We’ll probably have to publish it again.” “Thank you, Mintimer Sharipovich, for supporting the small peoples of Russia,” Mr. Abdulatipov appeared again, muttering: “Actually, I was preparing a serious speech...”.

After laughing, we got down to business. According to Ramazan Abdulatipov, the term “Russians” does not abolish individual nationalities. “If you have something ancestral, the spirit of your ancestors, no one can ever cancel it,” stated the Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan. “We have one national idea - the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which begins with the words: “we, the multinational people of the Russian Federation...” However, national problems do not receive due attention from the federal authorities. Abdulatipov, according to him, “did not receive even 36 kopecks” for holding the congress of the peoples of Tatarstan, the ambassador exclaimed: “If I received so much, I would organize the Assembly of the Peoples of the World!” Mr. Abdulatipov called on the Tatarstan leadership not to be sad that there is neither Kozak nor Konovalov on the presidium: “Nobody comes to the Congress of the Peoples of Russia either.” Is Russia always afraid of peoples?” he exclaimed sadly.

Ambassador Abdulatipov ended with several conceptual considerations: “Russia has always been the spiritual fortress of the world,” “after the collapse of the USSR, we did not draw any conclusions from the point of view of gathering a multinational Fatherland,” “if there is no normal national well-being of the Russian people in Russia, the Tatar people in Tatarstan, nothing good will happen." He ended his speech, which received applause many times, with a toast: “Tatarstan longs for friendship and gives it to all of Russia.”

The report of State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin, which took about forty minutes, bore the typically Soviet title “In the friendship of peoples is the strength of the republic, the key to the progressive development of Tatarstan.” The importance of preserving interethnic peace and the constructive development of relations between peoples, the enduring significance of the old and new Treaties on the delimitation of jurisdiction and the mutual delegation of powers between government bodies of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan were discussed.

Mr. Mukhametshin will announce statistics according to which representatives of 115 nationalities live in the republic. 52.9% of the population are Tatars, 39.5% are Russians, the rest of the people are about 300 thousand people. At the same time, in Tatarstan, as throughout the country, there is an increase in the representation of new diasporas. The Tajik diaspora has increased more than 4 times (now about 4 thousand Tajiks live in Tatarstan), the Armenian community has increased 3 times (about 6 thousand), and the Azerbaijani community has doubled (almost 10 thousand). Recently, Vietnamese and Turkish communities have appeared. A little later, the head of the Russian community of Tatarstan, Alexander Salagaev, gave other figures. According to him, Russians make up only 6% of the members of the Republican Union of Writers and 8% of the Union of Composers. “Isn’t this discrimination?” - he asked, turning to Kamil Iskhakov with a request to take special control over the construction of the Russian House in Kazan.

The Chairman of the State Council spoke a lot about the draft concept of the national policy of the Republic of Tatarstan. In general, the congress was convened to discuss it. But it just didn’t work out - it’s difficult to discuss commonplaces. But a lot of general words were said: the document is aimed “at uniting the efforts of state authorities, local self-government and civil society institutions to harmonize interethnic relations, prevent extremism, and create conditions for Tatarstan residents to satisfy their ethnocultural needs.”

Russia lacks the most important thing - “high-quality legislation in the field of interethnic relations, a fundamental document that meets the modern needs of society,” says Farid Mukhametshin. “National policy can no longer be limited to just a set of measures to support cultures, language programs or the identity of peoples,” he believes. “We need to talk about the consolidation of ethnic groups living in the same territory. At the same time, work should go in two directions. On the one hand , the adoption of a unified framework Federal concept, on the other - the implementation of a multivariate national policy, consistent with the specific conditions of the way of life of the peoples of the republics, territories and regions."

The Chairman of the State Council proposed to "resume discussion of the bill on the Fundamentals of State Policy in the field of interethnic relations in the Russian Federation with the task of completing its development and adoption in 2008." “Both the President of Tatarstan and the State Council gave negative feedback on the draft of this document,” he recalled. “In our comments, we recommended moving away from any evaluative positions and not separating the Russian people from other peoples of the country. Each people is a state-forming nation in its own right.” , and self-determined. And everyone is equal in their rights." Mr. Mukhametshin also considers it necessary to consider at the government level the issue of including programs in the national languages ​​of the peoples of the Russian Federation in the federal television broadcasting network and even the creation of a special television channel. In addition, he believes that ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which Russia signed on February 22, 2001, should be accelerated.

“In the context of the multi-ethnicity of the republic, it is necessary to strengthen the policy of multiculturalism, the main features of which are multilingualism, multicultural education and the strengthening of spiritual values,” noted Farid Mukhametshin. The head of the State Council expressed concerns about the planned abolition of the national-regional component of school education. He also called for compiling a register of traditional artistic crafts, adopting a federal program for their preservation, revival and support, laying tourist routes to the centers of such crafts, and for the media to write more “about the hard work and preserved customs of the peoples living compactly in the regions of the republic.”

The concept of national policy should bring together the work of government authorities to harmonize legislation in the interethnic sphere, Ramil Khairutdinov, director of the State Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve "Kazan Kremlin", continued talking about the project. It is based on two main principles - parity of interests of all nationalities and partnership in all spheres of public life. As noted in the concept, it is necessary to conduct “constant monitoring of relations between Russians and Tatars,” adapt migrants and develop tolerance towards them on the part of the host population. It is also necessary to constantly monitor the dynamics of interethnic and interethnic relations in Tatarstan.

Getting acquainted with the full text of the bill turned out to be a difficult task. According to representatives of the Tatmedia agency, which was involved in accreditation for the congress, “distribution of the concept for journalists is not provided.” There was no answer why. They advised taking the project from one Tatarstan site, where - amazing! - the text of the concept was also missing. The press was not given any other materials from the congress - as well as lunch vouchers and tickets for the gala concert "Tatarstan - Our Common Home", which concluded the event. At the same time, the impression was created that agency employees sincerely do not understand why representatives of the federal and local media are outraged.

I would like to believe that this is just an annoying flaw, and not the established working style of Tatmedia.

http://www.rosbaltvolga.ru/print/428969.html

Currently, representatives of 173 nationalities live in the republic. And the main task of the forum is to unite all nations, nationalities and communities, support their languages, culture and spirituality, preserve interethnic peace and harmony in Russia.

The first Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan was organized in 1992 - on the initiative and with the participation of the first president of the republic, Mintimer Shaimiev. Then, as a result of the congress, the “progenitor” of the current Association of the Peoples of Tatarstan appeared in the republic - the Association of National-Cultural Associations and the first House of Friendship of Peoples. The second congress took place in Kazan ten years ago - in November 2007 and brought together more than 700 participants and about 300 guests.
This year, in addition to 700 delegates from Tatarstan, guests from the federal center, other regions, and also from abroad were invited to the congress.
In March, meetings of public councils were held in all municipal districts of Tatarstan to elect delegates to the III Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan. In total, they will be represented at the congress by 500 delegates. These are representatives of local governments, veterans and public organizations, workers in culture, education and other spheres of public life.
Representatives of 36 national public associations (NPOs) that are part of the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan, as well as the Youth Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan, will also take part in the III Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan. Meetings of the NOU Councils were held from February to March. The series of meetings was opened by the regional public organization “Jewish National-Cultural Autonomy of the Republic of Tatarstan”, and concluded by the regional public organization “Russian National-Cultural Association of the Republic of Tatarstan”.

As a result, 230 delegates were elected - representatives of different nationalities and ages (from students to active retirees).

“The number of delegates depends on the number of NGOs,” Nikolai Vladimirov, deputy chairman of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan, told the sntat.ru journalist. - For example, from the Russian national-cultural autonomy, as well as from the Chuvash and Kryashen - 14 people each. There are also 14 delegates from the Association of Workers of the Tatar National Educational Association of the Republic of Tatarstan “Magarif”. 10 people were elected from the Udmurdian, Mordovian, Mari, Ukrainian, Bashkir, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Armenian, Tajik and Belarusian NGOs.

There are also a few national-cultural autonomies in Tatarstan that will send one delegate to the congress. These are such diasporas as the Buryat, NCA of the Meskhetian Turks, Indian, Assyrian, Afghan and Ingush.
“All our delegates are ordinary citizens of the Russian Federation who live and work in our republic,” emphasizes Nikolai Vladimirov. “And in their free time, they are engaged on a voluntary basis in preserving their language, culture and traditions.

Marine Khukhunashvilli, a delegate to the III Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan from the Georgian diaspora, came to Kazan back in Soviet times to study. Now he works as the director of the Multinational Sunday School Education Center. At the same time, she heads the NCA of Georgians in the Sioni Republic and is the deputy chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan.

“I was nominated as a delegate to the II Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan,” says Marine Khukhunashvilli. — My report concerned the school, which I have headed since 2001. That forum was an epoch-making event, because then the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan was created, which took the form of a public-state partnership. This is a higher level of public organization than the Association of National-Cultural Associations, which previously functioned in the republic. At the site of the II Congress, all the documents that were adopted later were discussed: the Concept of the National Policy of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Strategy of the National Policy of the Russian Federation until 2025. And many of the amendments that we made later appeared in these documents.

Marine Khukhunashvilli devotes almost more time to the Georgian NCA than to her main work at school. He says that, having once gone through the difficult process of adapting to a foreign land, which has now become home, he helps his fellow countrymen to go through the same path. This is the language barrier, the difference in mentality, the search for a suitable job, and many other problems. But, according to the head of the NCA of Georgians, in Tatarstan it is easier to solve all these problems, because visitors are not isolated in their national vacuum, they are immediately introduced into this multinational community, thanks to the fact that the republic has the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan and the House of Friendship of Peoples. Therefore, people do not feel cut off from their homeland.

“Every person, finding himself outside of his historical homeland, first feels himself in a foreign country, then in another country, and at some stage this country becomes our own,” says Marine Khukhunashvili. “I also went through all these stages. And I realized that it was necessary to unite my compatriots, preserve cultural traditions, language, and pass all this on to children, and not only to my own. Of course, I managed all this thanks to the support of my husband. Because when there are three children in a family, and the wife is also involved in social work, not everyone can stand it. And now I look at the teachers who work in our multinational Sunday school, at the leaders of national cultural autonomies, as missionaries of the 21st century. They not only preserve their national identity in Russia, in Tatarstan, but enrich other peoples living here with it.

According to the head of the Georgian diaspora, its people are united with many peoples living in Tatarstan by hospitality, love for children, lack of servility to superiors - only respect. Ordering a Georgian or a Georgian woman will not work, as Marine Khukhunashvilli put it. In her opinion, people need to be interested, and then they will move mountains:
“Every one of them,” she emphasizes, gently drawing out the first syllable in the Georgian manner, “must be sure that he is doing something that his children and grandchildren will be proud of.”

And, of course, Georgians are famous throughout the world for their feasts. And not only dishes and toasts. Not a single Georgian feast is complete without a song. But, according to Marine Khukhunashvili, if a person did not grow up in Georgia, this musicality can be lost, so at her school Georgian children are required to study music, dance and sing in the Georgian language. And children are not selected for these classes based on their abilities—everyone is accepted.

“We accept everyone, whether the child has hearing or not,” says the school director. — A child has the right to wear a national costume and feel like a Georgian. It is most important.

Delegate to the III Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan from the Assyrian diaspora, Arsen Savva is a representative of fourth-generation Assyrian Russians. He also took part in the previous congress and expects even more from the upcoming one - new contacts with compatriots and representatives of other diasporas.

Assyrians have lived in Kazan since 1918 and have always created their own diasporas. And in our time, it was Arsen Savva who became the initiator and organizer of the creation of the Assyrian NCA in Tatarstan and still heads it. Now, according to his calculations, 326 Assyrians live in the republic. And 126 people constantly communicate within the NCA.

Arsen Savva believes that the status of Assyrians in Russia is very specific. Because they are an ancient people who once lived in the territory of the so-called Western Asia - in Mesopotamia. The native language of the Assyrians is considered to be New Aramaic, which is now on the verge of extinction, because modern Assyrians speak the languages ​​of the countries where they live. It is predominantly Arabic, Persian and Turkish. And Russian Assyrians speak Russian.
“This is a unique flower in the multinational bouquet of the peoples of Russia,” says Arsen Savva about his people. — Forty families now live in Tatarstan, whose ancestors arrived here from 1918 to 1921. And no one goes anywhere else.
But these people have preserved their traditional craft - shoe repair, which the Assyrians began to do in Russia a hundred years ago. The chairman of the Assyrian NCA simultaneously works as the director of the Kazan handicraft company and heads a commercial structure that provides shoe repair services to the population of the republic.

“The Assyrians are very friendly people,” says Arsen Savva. “They don’t know how to lie at all; any kind of intrigue and meanness are alien to them.” Moreover, if we can somehow quarrel and argue among ourselves, as in any large family, then we are friends with other nations. There is a proverb that Assyrians are always loyal to the flags under which they live. After all, we do not have statehood as such. All peoples, as a last resort, can leave for their homeland. And we have nowhere to go. Our homeland is Russia, Tatarstan. Everyone has lived here for a long time and is not going anywhere, no matter how difficult the situation may arise. The Assyrians will live and work here and, like all Russians, they will try to make life in Russia better. We interact with Assyrian diasporas from other regions, we have very close contacts.

But if the Russified Assyrians have practically forgotten their language, they honor other traditions. For example, in the diaspora there is a Council of Elders, without whose approval not a single issue is resolved, including the reconciliation of quarreling spouses.

The Chairman of the Buryat NCA Tatarstna Sesegma Bubeeva was delegated to the Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan for the first time. She came to Kazan in 2012 to organize the Tibetan Medicine Clinic.

“I was used to being involved in social activities almost from childhood,” she says. “And since I am a patriot of my Motherland, my culture, I decided to unite all the Buryats living in Tatarstan in order to communicate, solve all problems together and preserve our traditions and language. I was pleasantly surprised that I would not have to invent something from scratch, but simply join the friendly family of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan. Not every region has such an organization. They just gave me the green light everywhere, helped me legally draw up all the documents and register our NCA. National policy in Tatarstan is at a very high level. There were no difficulties. On the contrary, they even urged me on. And over the past year, our diaspora has increased significantly. If in 2012 we started with two or three people, then today there are over 100 people in the Buryat NCA of Tatarstan. Including those who have lived here for a long time. I also know such people: one Buryat woman married a Tatar, another a local Korean. Our fellow countrymen from Buryatia and other regions began to come to Kazan for our events.

Meanwhile, four years ago, Sesegma Bubeeva, her friends and family knew about Kazan only from geography textbooks. Some even dissuaded their friend: they say, it’s better to go to Moscow or St. Petersburg. She, of course, visited these cities, but still chose the capital of Tatarstan.

“And everyone started asking me, like, so what?” How is it there in Kazan? What kind of city is this, what kind of people? — Sesegma Bubeeva smiles. “And I answered everyone and still answer that Kazan is Moscow infrastructure and Buryat simplicity. Because here there is everything the same as in Moscow, but at the same time very welcoming and open people.

Opinions

Vladimir Zorin, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Presidential Council of the Russian Federation on Interethnic Relations (Moscow):
— In Russia we are very fond of congresses of individual nations; this has been a tradition since the 90s and early 2000s. They are definitely needed. But we must say frankly: convening the Congress of all the peoples of the region so that there can be a frank conversation about the most important interethnic problems is a unique event. Tatarstan has become a pioneer in this positive aspect. And here it played a big role that the republic has the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan, which has the status of a state public body, and it works effectively. Such an assembly at the regional level is a precedent for multinational Russia. This is an indicator that the model of such a multinational and multiethnic society, which was created in your republic, is not only viable, but also helps to develop it and move it forward.

Alexander Sidyakin, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Tatarstan:
— We always emphasize that our strength lies in our multinationality. The history of our country is the main proof of this. And the great migration of peoples, and what Lev Gumilev calls passionarity - that is, the interaction of developing ethnic groups as the driving force of the historical process. And the Scythians, and the Pechenegs, and the Turkic peoples who lived on the territory of our republic forged our history, our traditions. Now in Tatarstan there live representatives of an even larger number of ethnic groups, who are also developing, mutually enriching each other and moving our history further. And the Congress of Peoples is also a kind of movement towards tolerance and mutual respect. For a multinational and multi-religious country, this is an absolutely correct recipe.

On February 15, a meeting of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan was held in Kazan, at which they summed up the work of national and cultural public associations, the House of Friendship of the Peoples of Tatarstan and the executive committee of the assembly in 2016, and also discussed plans for 2017.

The meeting was chaired by the head of the republican parliament, chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan (ANT) Farid Mukhametshin.

“The interethnic climate of our republic has become softer,” noted Farid Mukhametshin, assessing the work of ANT last year. He also briefly spoke about the main events in the political and ethnocultural life of the republic and recalled that almost 10 years have passed since the Second Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan. “As you can see, during this time, ethnopolitical processes in the republic have undergone serious and positive changes,” the Chairman of the State Council emphasized, “the domestic and foreign political situation has changed. Taking into account new challenges and trends, there is a need to hold the next congress of the peoples of the republic.”

Nikolai VLADIMIROV: Currently, our organization unites under its wing more than two hundred local and regional national and cultural public associations

The Third Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan, according to the decree of the President of the Republic, will take place in April 2017. Currently, an organizing committee has been formed, headed by the Chairman of the State Council.

“Representatives of all 173 nationalities living in Tatarstan, even the smallest ones, will take part in the congress,” noted Farid Mukhametshin. “The congress faces a big unifying task; I think decisions will be made at it that will form the basis for the activities of state and municipal authorities for the next 10 years.”

“Today the Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan and its youth wing are an authoritative public organization that acts as a kind of methodological and resource center for the development of the ethnocultural movement of the republic,” said Farid Mukhametshin. – The holding of the previous congress of the peoples of Tatarstan once again confirmed that the harmonization of interethnic and interfaith relations is the most important priority of the state policy of Tatarstan and the Russian Federation as a whole. The well-being of the country depends on how consistently and subtly relationships are built between representatives of different nationalities and religions.”

Nikolai Vladimirov, head of the executive committee of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan, made a report on the activities of the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan in 2016. “Currently, our organization unites under its wing more than two hundred local and regional national and cultural public associations,” he emphasized.

The head of the executive committee called comprehensive work on the adaptation of migrants one of the most important areas of the assembly’s activities. “It’s no secret that Tatarstan continues to remain a socially and economically attractive region, and, as a result, migration flows are constantly increasing,” noted Nikolai Vladimirov. “During 2016, 250 thousand foreign citizens were registered for migration, 7 percent more than in 2015.”

Another point on which the attention of those gathered was focused was work with young people. “You and I must do everything we can to facilitate the speedy adaptation of visiting youth to the new sociocultural environment, especially since their ranks are constantly growing, about 9 thousand foreign students from more than a hundred countries are currently studying in the republic,” recalled Nikolai Vladimirov.

The director of the House of Friendship of Peoples, Irek Sharipov, and the chairman of the Youth Assembly, Timur Kadyrov, also spoke at the meeting. The director of the Sunday school, Maya Khukhunashvili, spoke about the activities of the Multinational Sunday School education center. The director of the People's Friendship House "Rodnik" in Naberezhnye Chelny, Landysh Ishalina, shared her work experience.