OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities visits Moscow, discusses inter-ethnic relations in Russian Federation and situation of Russian minorities in other OSCE participating States

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), Lamberto Zannier, travelled to Moscow from 28 to 30 October 2018 for an official visit to the Russian Federation.

During the visit, Zannier addressed the Second Moscow International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism, Racism and Xenophobia. 

“Discrimination based on religion and ethnicity is on the rise. We should continue to work for the integration of our diverse societies by guaranteeing access to justice for all, by promoting a balanced use of language and by enhancing participation in public life,” said Zannier in his opening remarks at the conference.

During his meetings with representatives of the Russian Government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, the Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, Igor Barinov, as well as with the Deputy Minister of Education, Tatyana Sinyugina, Zannier discussed both inter-ethnic relations in Russia as well as the situation of Russian minorities in other OSCE participating States.

The visit also included meetings with representatives of national minorities in the Russian Federation, during which issues related to languages and education were discussed, among other matters.

During the visit, the High Commissioner also highlighted the importance of the HCNM thematic Recommendations and Guidelines as valuable tools to address issues related to his mandate of conflict prevention.