It was held in Moscow from November 16 to November 17. The conference was organised by the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FAEA).

The event was timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Strategy of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation up to 2025 and the establishment of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations.

In total, more than 12,5 thousand people took part in the conference off-site and online, more than 250 reports were made.

One of the few regional participants of the event was Associate Professor of the Department of National History and Historiography, SSU, Vladimir Khasin. At the House of the Russian Historical Society in the Historical experience of the establishment and development of a multinational Russian state section he presented a report on the political and legal situation of the German population of the USSR in the 1950s-1990s.

The members of section discussed the main stages of the establishment and development of Russia as a multinational and multiconfessional state, the formation of the ethnic and religious groups of the population, causes and factors of interethnic harmony, as well as traditions of patriotism and state symbols.

Vladimir Khasin devoted his report to the regulation of interethnic relations in non-standard circumstances. He outlined the main issues faced by researchers of national history of the deported peoples of the USSR. In his speech, he discussed the history of the use and scope of the term “rehabilitation”. The speaker commented how the attitude of central and local authorities had been changing to the issue of German statehood.

The conference participants joined eight sections. Representatives of legislative and executive authorities, employees of scientific, educational, public, and youth organisations, experts from all regions of the country and CIS countries took part in the discussion of the most important issues of national policy.

‘It was an honour for the Russian Higher Education and Science of Russia to become a co-organiser of such a significant event. As far as higher education is concerned, I would like to especially note that it is necessary to strengthen the implementation of programmes aimed at studying the culture and traditions of the peoples of Russia and to improve the quality of their implementation. Broadening the knowledge on history and interethnic relations is the best prevention measure of intolerance and extremism, harmonisation of interethnic relations, as well as achievement of civil peace and harmony,’ Minister of Science and Higher Education Valerii Falkov commented.

More information about the conference is available on the website of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.