September 8, 2018 Moscow widely celebrated its 871st birthday. On this bright and sunny day, for Muscovites and guests of the capital, the organizers prepared many festive venues for meetings and recreation, where each visitor involuntarily became a participant in the action and was able to choose an activity to their liking and interests.

Moscow City Day coincides annually with the Moscow Interregional Festival "My Dear Fellow Countrymen", which is organized by the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the Moscow Government.

This year the 18th Moscow Interregional Festival was successfully held. According to the old and good tradition, the festival was held at the site of the Tsar's Court of the cultural and entertainment complex "Kremlin in Izmailovo". The participants of the festival were representatives of regional communities living in Moscow, who are envoys of all peoples and nationalities of Russia.

Vitaly Ivanovich Suchkov, Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the Moscow Government, addressed the participants of the festival in a welcoming speech. With great enthusiasm, regional communities accepted the welcome address of the Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Semyonovich Sobyanin. A surprise for the participants of the festival was the solo performance by Vitaly Ivanovich Suchkov of the famous song by E. Kolmanovsky to the verses of K. Vanshenkin “I love you life!”. A flurry of applause!

A rich and interesting concert program was prepared for the participants and guests of the Festival. It was opened by the "Gubernia" group under the leadership of Alexei Petrukhin. Artists from Kostoroma, Vologda, Donbass and others took to the stage. All concert numbers went to "Hurrah!".

In the XVIII Moscow Interregional Festival"My dear fellow countrymen", the delegation of the Regional Public Organization "Pomorsky Fellowship in Moscow", headed by the Chairman of the Board Vladimir Enyagin, took an active part. From the stage of the festival, our community congratulated the participants of the festival from the regional communities of the city of Moscow on the holiday.

Within the framework of the festival, working meetings were held aimed at fulfilling the common tasks facing the regional communities.

This Festival has already gone down in history, but in our hearts it will remain one of the brightest moments of Moscow life and communication with fellow countrymen and guests of the capital, who cherish Moscow and their small Motherland so much!

The festival ended with festive fireworks. We say: “Thank you, and goodbye, Festival! See you next year!"

Sergei Aleshintsev, Member of the Board of the Pomor Community.

Invited to participate in the press conference:

• Smirnova Svetlana Konstantinovna- Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia;

Abdulatipov Ramazan Gadzhimuradovich- Honorary Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Special Representative of the President Russian Federation on issues of humanitarian and economic cooperation with the Caspian countries, ex-head of the Republic of Dagestan;

Vagina Tatyana Valerevna– Head of the Department for National Policy of the Department of Domestic Policy of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation;

• Gilmutdinov Ildar Irekovich- Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities;
• Ipatov Mikhail Viktorovich- Deputy Head federal agency on affairs of nationalities of the Russian Federation;
• Shelikhov Vladimir Vasilievich- Deputy Head of the Federal Communications Agency;
• Suchkov Vitaly Ivanovich- Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the city of Moscow;
• Schmidt William Vladimirovich- Professor of the Department of State-Confessional Relations, IGSU RANEPA.

On July 8, the Assembly of Peoples of Russia celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over the years of vigorous activity, it has proved its importance and relevance, has become an integral part of our multinational society - the Assembly of Peoples has become a key subject of civil society in the field of national policy.

Russia arose and developed as a multinational state, where a respectful attitude towards other peoples, friendliness and a desire to live in peace and harmony with neighbors, communicating with them on an equal footing, is the norm of life. It can be rightly said that the words “We, a multinational people”, with which the Constitution of the Russian Federation, a multinational people, begins, were written by History itself.

The historical genotype of the Russian nation turned out to be so viable that during the period of change social order in the early 90s. did not allow breaking the bonds of brotherhood of the peoples inhabiting the vast expanses of our country. To strengthen interethnic relations, the spiritual and moral forces of society were needed, ready to take on a consolidating role. In many respects, the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia has become such a social force. Its founders formulated the main goal of the Assembly - to promote the national development of the peoples of Russia, the establishment of interethnic harmony in society, since its foundation is centuries of historical closeness and blood kinship, common trials and great victories.

At the first stage of the activity, it was important to develop a document that would clearly spell out the strategy and tactics of the activity. And already at the II Congress of the Assembly in 2000, the “Charter on the Civil Rights of the Peoples of the Russian Federation” was adopted, based on the principles of social equality, taking into account the national and religious characteristics of each region. The Charter proclaimed the priority of fundamental civil rights and freedoms, the observance of which would allow all the peoples of Russia, regardless of their number, as well as citizens of all nationalities and religions, to exist with dignity and to interact safely within a single multinational state.

The Assembly of the Peoples of Russia essentially proposed to the multinational Russian society and state a civil doctrine of original and equal development and cooperation between the peoples and citizens of all nationalities of Russia, their mutual responsibility for the fate of each people, culture and language, responsibility for the democratic prospects of a single community of the multinational people of the Russian Federation.

In today's life modern Russia it is necessary to increase the activity and efficiency of civil society institutions. It is in this vein that the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia is working. During these 20 years, many changes have taken place both in the life of the organization itself and in society as a whole. It is enough to look at the chronology of the activities of the Assembly, as well as its regional branches - here is the protection of citizens from discrimination based on nationality in any of its manifestations; assistance in solving socio-economic problems; promoting the development of cultures and languages ​​of the peoples of Russia, the preservation of historical heritage; and, of course, a significant expansion of the structure of the Assembly, assistance in the organization and work of its regional branches.

The Assembly of the Peoples of Russia is a living organism that is sensitive to the social and social changes taking place in the country. Russia is a multinational power. It is home to 193 ethnic groups who speak more than 270 languages ​​and dialects. For 20 years, as already noted, there has been a significant expansion of the structure of the Assembly and the geography of its activities - the regional branches of the Assembly operate in 78 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The Assembly constantly involves its regional branches in the orbit of projects being implemented at the federal level, assisting in their work. Thus, federal and regional Assembly Resource Centers in the field of ethnic relations have begun to operate - there are already 25 of them. They are faced with the task of studying and promoting successful practices of non-profit organizations operating in the field of ethnic relations; to help regional organizations, they produce methodological and video materials. The Assembly should be aware of regional developments, so the Resource Centers also participate in monitoring the ethno-political situation in the regions of Russia. They also inform the public about the events held there, develop (including in agreement with the relevant authorities and representatives of national-cultural associations) work plans. Assembly Resource Centers interact with the media on all of the above issues.

The list of collective members and partners from among regional governments, regional and local national-cultural associations, public organizations in one way or another working in this sphere of society, experts, individual citizens who share the ideas of the Assembly is constantly growing.

The Assembly works in close tandem with all federal national-cultural autonomies; Representatives of the Assembly operate in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and in European countries. Particularly close cooperation has been established with the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, the Assembly of the People of Kyrgyzstan, the Serbian patriotic organizations "Our Serbia" and "Serbian Code", with which cooperation agreements have been signed, there is a regular exchange of working visits, and joint events are held.

As you know, it was the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia, having taken a course towards Eurasian integration at its VI Congress, that initiated the creation of the Assembly of the Eurasian Peoples. On May 27–29, 2017, two events took place simultaneously - the VII Congress of the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia and the I Congress of the Assembly of the Eurasian Peoples. The Assembly of Peoples of Russia reiterated its commitment to continue developing interaction with all national and interethnic public associations, as well as with compatriots abroad who share the ideology of a culture of peace and stand for the solidarity of peoples, the rejection of hostility, violence and conflicts.

The I Congress of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly discussed the development of integration, humanitarian cooperation, intercultural dialogue, public diplomacy and other important components of the national policy of civil society institutions in all countries of the Eurasian space. The Congress was attended by representatives of 66 states of the continent. The decisions of the Forum were aimed at strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between peoples.

The Assembly of the Peoples of Russia is faithful to the initially chosen course - the organization has been working all these years for the benefit of both each individual, regardless of his nationality, and society and the state as a whole. The main activities of the Assembly and its regional branches have been and remain the protection of citizens from discrimination based on nationality in any of its manifestations, assistance in solving socio-economic problems, promoting the development of cultures and languages ​​of the peoples of the Russian Federation, and preserving historical heritage.

Congresses, forums, round tables, All-Russian festivals of cultures, national sports, patriotic marathons, and numerous other projects in the field of national relations - all of them, no doubt, contribute to the establishment of harmony, peace and good neighborliness in the multi-ethnic, multi-religious sector of our society.

Preparations for the anniversary - the 20th anniversary of the Assembly - made it possible to give an objective assessment of its activities and at the same time demonstrate to the world the diversity of Russian civil society: all the activities of the organization are aimed at strengthening the principles of democracy, freedom, friendliness, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, diversity of cultures, dialogue and mutual understanding between the peoples that make up the Russian Federation.

On the eve of the anniversary, a number of events were held in different regions of the country under the sign of the 20th anniversary of the Assembly:

• from May 24 to May 28, 2018, the Third All-Russian and Third Eurasian Literary Festivals of writers and readers "LiFFt" were held in Sochi;
• On June 10, the VI Spartakiad of national-cultural associations and fraternities of the city was held in Moscow;
• June 19 in Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, opened the first pavilion of the center " North Caucasus”, and his Football Museum was the result of the joint work of the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia and the Sochi Gallery of Modern Art;
• On June 22–23, 2018, the traditional annual All-Russian Festival of National Sports and Culture "Harmony of Life" was held in Ivanovo.

And this list can be continued with messages from many regions of the country ...

The main event of the year is the CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLES OF RUSSIA, which will be held on July 18–20, 2018 in Moscow. The participants of the anniversary event will be leaders and activists of national-cultural public associations from all regions of the Russian Federation, representatives of federal national-cultural autonomies, interregional and all-Russian public organizations, public chambers of all levels, regional and federal authorities, scientific and expert community, mass media.

The Congress program includes solemn events, exhibitions, multimedia presentations, master classes and workshops, debates and round tables. Thematic platforms will be held on topical issues of public life both in Russia and on the Eurasian continent, concerning issues of public diplomacy, education, cultural processes, sports, tourism, etc. Youth leaders and activists will gather at the traditional annual forum of the All-Russian public movement “Youth Assembly of the Peoples of Russia “WE ARE RUSSIANS”.

Representatives of more than 30 countries will also be guests of the anniversary Congress. Within the framework of the Congress, a meeting of the General Council of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly will be held.

The events of the anniversary year, aimed at strengthening the Russian nation, the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia will continue after the end of the Congress. There are proposals for the Assembly to replicate unique experience of our country to preserve and strengthen the unity of hundreds of peoples, one of the latest ideas is the publication of the Encyclopedia of Ethnocultural Traditions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation.

In November 2018, as part of the anniversary events, the final of the IV All-Russian Contest of leaders of non-profit organizations and public associations implementing projects in the field of state national policy of the Russian Federation will be held. Events under the sign of the 20th anniversary of the Assembly will be held in all regions of the country - until the end of 2018 and during 2019 it is planned to hold conferences, round tables and other forms of work in 20 regions of Russia.

Holding events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the country's largest interethnic public organization Assembly of the Peoples of Russia, is designed to demonstrate the strengthened unity of the Russian people - a civil political nation: the initiative and vigor of civil society, the increased patriotism and sense of national pride of Russian citizens and their openness to positive cooperation with citizens of all states of the World.