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Educational
seminar in Sochi The Center for
Interethnic Cooperation carried out the fourth and thus closing educational
seminar for leaders of national associations and representatives of the
authorities of the Krasnodar district in the sport center пїЅSputnikпїЅ
(companion), which is twenty minutes by bus or car from Sochi. The seminar
was the closing part of the project пїЅInterethnic ConsentпїЅ, financed by the
Council of Europe. Ten out of seventeen participants were representing
national associations from Krasnodar having become board members of the
Center for National Culture of Krasnodar. Natalia Bogatereva represented the
organization of пїЅVozrozhdenieпїЅ (renewal) from the republic Adigi, Nadezhda
Dzhaparidze the пїЅKavkaskoe KulпїЅturno-Ekonomicheskoe SodruzhestvoпїЅ (Caucasian
Cultural Economical Commonwealth). The representative of the Krasnodar
district was Irina Onishchenko from the Immigration Commission, and Viktor
Ohrimenko, the principal of the Department for Interethnic Relations. The actual seminar
differed from others as the following persons from official organs were
involved in its realization: Nadezhda Rozhova, who is the substitute of the
Department on Relations with Society, with Confessions and on Interregional
Relations of the Nizhni Novgorod Administration, and Nadezhda Osipova, who is
the main expert of the Department on Affairs of Nationalities of the
apparatus of the Administration of the Samara district. пїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅ Our strategies were quite simple and
successful. Both Nadezhdas represented regions, where national minorities are
living quite peacefully. The local administration has a loyal attitude
towards this part of the population, and supports in addition national
associations by considerable financial means. Nadezhda Osipovoij pointed out,
that they spent three million Rubles (in 2003 they intend to spent even four
millions) for the development of peoples living in the Samara district. The
participating leaders of national associations and the representatives of
authorities from the Krasnodar district were quite impressed by her
statement. пїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅпїЅ Contrary to our expectations, the
debates and discussions of this seminar were not more rough and fierce as in
other regions, but more пїЅsuccessfulпїЅ concerning interethnic relations.
Unfortunately Servar Tedorov, the chairman of the Meskhetian Turks from the
Krasnodar district, was not able to take part in our seminar. Tatyana
Morozova, the leader of the Krasnodar Kasaks, broke one record of
temperamental and persistent statements after another, but she did not leave
the standard frameworks. More than others astonished us the representatives
of the Krasnodar districtпїЅs authorities. They accurately listened and
accurately took notes, and kept really quiet during the lessons. That is,
they showed not this arrogant patriotic behavior like the governor of the
Krasnodar district had shown. Not even the provocative question of the
trainer, whether it is necessary to struggle with the authorities to find
solutions for problems induced the participants to criticize the authorities.
пїЅThe power is like a lion, it is neither proper to struggle with them, nor to
kiss themпїЅ, Gia Hurilava, the leader of the Georgian organization, noticed
wisely. Like that, this part of the discussion was finished. In addition, the
conversations and discussions with the representatives of the national
associations during the breaks, the evenings, and the free time showed that
they do not notice special critical situations in their region. Maybe, It became clear that
the Center of National Cultures gained a unique experience during the ten
years of working in this пїЅmost unsuccessfulпїЅ region. This is for some reasons
not only noticed by the mass media, but also by charitably foundations, which
recently took a fancy to the topic of interethnic tolerance. The main result of the
seminar was that the situation in the Krasnodar is not that terrible and
hopeless, as it seemed. And the negotiations with the authorities to find
solutions for existing problems, existing in this overpopulated southern
region as result of a long-term clumsy policy of the central authorities,
seem to be conducted in a quite rational way. |
