International
attention to problems of national minorities in the Russian Federation
is not decreasing
The foreign affairs
committee of the Estonian parliament, meeting with Rolf Ekeus, High
Commissioner for National Minorities of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), raised the issue of Russia's national
minorities last Wednesday, 26th October, speaking about problems in
Mari El, Chechnya, Koryakia and Buryatia.
Chairman of the
committee Enn Eesmaa said Estonia is particularly interested in the
welfare of Finno-Ugric people, adding that members of parliament were
actively dealing with the issue in different parliamentary assemblies,
a spokesman for the parliament reported.
Ekeus said that
he had given little attention to issues of national minorities in Russia.
He said that the problems had more often to do with politics and security
than with ethnicity.
Estonia follows
developments of situation with Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia. For example,
Estonian representatives participate in the international seminar “The
enlargement of the Consultative Committees’ activities within
the international cooperation”, in Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russian
Federation, 10th – 13th of November 2005.
Estonian member
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Katrin Saks,
who prepares the Report on the situation of Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia,
is invited to the seminar.
The seminar is organized
to develop the international cooperation of the Finno-Ugric national
organizations with the international structures, especially European
ones. Evidently, it concerns also the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, one of the main international organizations
in Europe.
This approach shows
that leaders of Finno-Ugric movements realize that international attention
is crucial in solution of problems caused by inter-ethnic tensions.
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