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“MULTICULTURALISM” FORUM GATHERS MOSCOW’S SUPPORTERS
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 2 Issue: 194
By:
On October 15 in Moscow, officials from the presidential administration and other
Kremlin-connected figures hosted a “Forum on Democracy and Multiculturalism in the
Euro-East.” The participants included representatives of Abkhazia, South Ossetia,
Transnistria, and Karabakh, activists of pro-Russia parties and associations from
several post-Soviet countries, and Moscow figures who — according to Kremlin
consultant Gleb Pavlovsky, speaking at the Forum — “play a major if often shadowy
role in developing Russia’s real policy” (Regnum, October 15).
Outlining geopolitical challenges and opportunities to Russia, Pavlovsky noted that
the United States is focusing its hostile attention on Belarus, “our basic
military-political ally.” In the Balkans, the ongoing separation of Kosovo from
Serbia could serve as a precedent and model for conflict-resolution on Russia’s
terms, Pavlovsky claimed.
The other Kremlin-connected keynote speaker, Sergei Markov, observed, “This is the
only forum where the flags of both Georgia and Abkhazia, both Moldova and
Transnistria are displayed simultaneously. So here we have the chance to develop a
dialogue between unrecognized states and the states from which they have withdrawn”
(Russian Television Channel One, October 15). Markov called for Georgia to become a
federation, the Russian language to become an official language alongside Georgian,
and Georgia’s constitution to empower Russia as the guarantor of the rights of
national minorities (Imedi TV, October 15).
Modest Kolerov, head of the Russian Presidential Administration’s Directorate for
Interregional and External Ties (mainly responsible for liaison with pro-Moscow
groups in Eurasia) clarified the concept of post-Soviet “multiculturalism” as
entailing in practice a privileged official role for the Russian language, as well
as special dispensations for Russia-oriented minorities under Russia’s oversight in
post-Soviet countries. Kolerov assessed such “multiculturalism” as “a task and a
goal that, unfortunately, have yet to be accomplished in the post-Soviet space”; and
predictably castigated Latvia and Estonia for not adhering to such multiculturalism
(RIA-Novosti, October 15).
The prominent commentator Vitaly Tretyakov noted that a CIS that is “nearing its end
as a political organization” cannot serve as a mechanism for pursuing that concept
of multiculturalism in the post-Soviet space. Tretyakov urged the Russian government
to seek international recognition for the Russian people as a “dismembered people”
and reshape its policy accordingly. As part of such a policy, he recommended that
Russia should purchase Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia, or lease the two
territories for 150 to 200 years, based on the fact that the populations in the two
territories are citizens of Russia. Tretyakov is a Kremlin-licensed ultranationalist
with a regular column in the governmental Rossiiskaya gazeta.
Georgia seemed to be the main target of attack at the Forum. The Abkhaz “national
security council secretary” Stanislav Lakoba as well as Konstantin Kochiev,
identified as “state secretary” of South Ossetia, called for recognition of the two
territories’ secession from Georgia with the argument that Russia had already
conferred its citizenship to most residents there. This seemed to confound some
anti-Western activists from Tbilisi attending the Forum. One of these, Malkhaz
Gulashvili of Forward Georgia, argued that the Georgian government must work closely
with Russia to change the latter’s policy and help restore Georgia’s territorial
integrity. The “Samegrelo movement” leader Alexander Chachiya asked Russia to act
decisively as the “center of gravity of Eurasian civilization,” and in that spirit
resolve the frozen conflicts in accordance with Russian interests or alternatively
face the dismemberment of Russia itself.
Georgia’s Labor Party and Justice Party were also represented at the conference. The
“human rights activist” Maia Nikolaishvili announced that she has set up in Georgia
an “Anti-Soros Foundation” to combat the phenomenon of “Soros-ism.” She — that is,
probably, the organizers through her — called for setting up similar “anti-Soros
foundations” in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and other countries
where American-sponsored NGOs are active.
Speakers at the Forum criticized the “color revolution countries and Moldova” for
allegedly violating democracy. The sharpest accusations were directed at Georgia and
Moldova for “mass repressions, persecution of political opposition, electoral
frauds,” and “violating the rights of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic minorities.”
Significantly, the accounts of the Forum in Russian media carefully avoided naming
Ukraine as a “color revolution country” or violator of democracy. Although some
speakers may well have criticized Ukraine as well or at least made demands for
“multiculturalism” in that country, the official reports from the Forum did not.
The Forum was the third event of this type (under slightly varying names) since
July, and a fourth event is scheduled for December. The Kremlin seems to be in the
process of institutionalizing a neo-Comintern of hard-core activists promoting
Russia’s geopolitical agenda, largely though not only through the manipulation of
ethnic issues, now fashionably repackaged as “multiculturalism.”
(Regnum, Interfax, RIA-Novosti, Russian Television Channel One, October 15, 16; see
EDM, September 19)