MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The multi-ethnic world that has emerged in Russia must be protected as a strategic element of national security against the backdrop of growing external challenges, said Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, at the 5th Russian Forum of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs “People of Russia”.

“Undoubtedly, against the backdrop of growing challenges from the outside and attempts by our adversaries to undermine us from within by playing the nationalist card, it is extremely important to protect the inter-ethnic peace established as a pillar of the Russian state and as a strategic element of national security. But we must not forget that our model of coexistence of different ethnicities and cultures on one land is also a factor of our strength and attractiveness against the background of other, failed models of integration, multiculturalism, melting pot and similar concepts”, he Kosachev said.

He considers it part of the politics of nationalities not only to protect inter-ethnic peace in Russia, but also to project it outwards as a means of soft power. According to Kosachev, the Russian model of multi-ethnic statehood, on the one hand, is unique in its effectiveness. On the other hand, it is universal and applicable in other multi-ethnic states.

“This is especially evident in the former Soviet republics. They all emerged from the Soviet Union certainly not as mono-ethnic entities. They had their own minorities, they had their own autonomies, but unfortunately some of these neighboring republics opted out. for a policy of harsh nationalism and monoculture, which led not only to the failure of the mission to ensure unity, but also to violent conflicts on ethnic grounds, as well as to the disenfranchisement of huge segments of the population,” Kosachev emphasized.

Speaking about the official policy on nationalities, Kosachev noted that it is now “at a very specific stage, when we sometimes have to solve multi-vector tasks in one package.”

“These tasks do not contradict each other. They are not mutually exclusive, but require a set of measures and certainly – a coordinated action of all participants. For example, such an acute problem as migration, of course, involves protecting society. from uncontrolled flows of representatives of other states and cultures, prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts and excessive tension on the social system, on the one hand the acute problem of labor shortage, as well as to maintain a normal climate in relations with our neighbors in The CIS and the universal Eurasian Economic Union,” Kosachev said.