THE CONGRESS OF THE RUSSIANS LIVING ABROAD WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR








MOSCOW, March 5, RIA Novosti correspondent Maria Pozdnyakova - The congress of the Russian compatriots living abroad has been scheduled for the first half of this year, said Chairman of the State Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament) Gennady Seleznev at the 14th session of the Compatriots' Council under the auspices of the State Duma. It consists of the delegates from the Russian communities in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Baltia. 


	Gennady Seleznev pointed out that the problem of protecting our compatriots abroad "calls for concentrating the efforts of all the branches of power." In the first place, according to him, it is necessary to create "a legal basis for protecting  compatriots living abroad." The speaker is sure that the  government must "use more actively the economic levers with  regard to the countries of Baltia" for resolving the problem  of "preserving the cultural and national originality of the  Russian-speaking communities in those countries."  "Our compatriots lay great hopes on the Russian leadership; they are waiting for a moral, financial and political support," said Gennady Seleznev. 


	He expressed confidence that Russia should "render a  financial and economic support to the Russian centres in the CIS and Baltia countries, and finance periodicals in the Russian  language." According to Gennady Seleznev, "the most acute problem of our compatriots abroad is the discrimination of the Russian  language." In many countries of the Commonwealth, the prestige of the Russian language and Russian culture is dropping; the schools and higher educational establishments where one can get education in the Russian language are rapidly being closed."  At the same time, pointed out Gennady Seleznev, in the  post-Soviet space there are also "positive examples of preserving the Russian language." In Belarus, for instance, "a million and a half Russians do not fall under the definition of a Russian community, they are full-fledged citizens of the country. Gennady Seleznev underscored that in Belarus there are Russian  newspapers and magazines and four Russian programmes on  television. -O-   (kos/kaf)  05/03/01    15:01