On August 3, 2026, a preliminary meeting of the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Foreign Economic Relations of the Council of Heads of Representative Offices of the Subjects of the Russian Federation was held at the Moscow House of Nationalities. The event was attended by Alfiya Amirova, President of the International Women’s Union.
In her speech, Alfiya Amirova spoke about the activities of the International Union of Women and the International Discussion Club “VISION 3000”, shared her experience in the field of international cooperation, cultural diplomacy, and support for women’s initiatives. Special attention was paid to the organization’s key projects — the International Forum “Woman of the Third Millennium”, the festival of folk crafts “By the Hands of Women”, as well as the photo contests “Mothers and Children in National Costumes” and “Female Farmer: Faces of the Earth”. These initiatives bring together women from 89 regions of Russia and more than 40 countries around the world, creating a space for trust, dialogue, and joint projects.
Alfiya Amirova also put forward proposals regarding possible formats of cooperation with the regions within the framework of the International Union of Women’s projects.
On the Committee’s meeting
The Committee on Interethnic Relations and Foreign Economic Relations was established in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Council of Heads of Representations of the Subjects of the Russian Federation dated April 8, 2026. Its establishment is intended to systematize and consolidate the successful practices of the regions, transforming scattered experience into a sustainable model of interregional cooperation.
Opening the meeting, the Chair of the Committee — the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mari El to the President of the Russian Federation Olga Yuryevna Badma‑Khaldayeva — thanked her colleagues for their trust and emphasized that for the Republic of Mari El, as a multi‑ethnic region, the issue of strengthening interethnic harmony and supporting cultural diversity is of particular importance. “The experience of different constituent entities of the Federation is invaluable for forming a common platform for interaction. Our task is to collect the best practices and propose mechanisms for their replication,” she noted.
The head of the Moscow House of Nationalities, Sergey Sergeevich Anufrienko, delivered a welcoming speech, noting the importance of the new structure for the development of intercultural dialogue.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Heads of Representative Offices of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the head of the Representative Office of the Kamchatka Territory Evgeny Gavrilovich Vlasov. He emphasized that the Council is developing consistently, and the creation of specialized committees is an important step for all participating regions. In total, a decision was made to establish five committees in key areas.
Deputy Governor of the Tomsk Region — Head of the Tomsk Region’s Delegation to the Government of the Russian Federation Nikolai Sergeevich Slepnev, as well as Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Bashkortostan to the President of the Russian Federation Sergey Alexandrovich Molchanov, presented reports on the successful practices of their respective regions.
The meeting agenda included a discussion of the Committee’s preliminary work plan in key areas: interethnic and interfaith relations, support for the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia, and promotion of the regions’ foreign economic relations. Following the meeting, it was decided to formulate a work plan with two stable tracks — “Interethnic Relations” and “Foreign Economic Relations”.
The final focus of the meeting was the awarding ceremony of the participants of the All—Russian Folk Art Festival “Russia is us! Consonance of cultures”. During the ceremony, statuettes were presented to representatives of three regions — the Republic of Buryatia, the Kaluga Region and the Chuvash Republic.
The festival, whose motto echoes the words of the President of the Russian Federation about multinational brotherhood as the main pillar and strength of the country, has become a vibrant platform for the presentation of regional cultural diversity, the development of intergenerational dialogue and support for creative initiatives of youth and the older generation.
In her closing remarks, the Chairman of the Committee noted that projects such as the festival “Russia is us! Consonance of cultures”, demonstrate that Russia’s multiculturalism is not a challenge, but a powerful resource for the country’s development. The festival was named one of the flagship events not only of the new Committee, but also of the entire Council of Heads of Representative Offices of the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation.
At the end of the meeting, it was announced that the proposals of the participants on the Committee’s work plan would be systematized and sent for approval to the Presidium of the Council of Heads of Representatives of the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation. Representatives of the regions will continue to participate in shaping the Committee’s agenda and making proposals for projects aimed at strengthening interethnic agreements, developing cultural exchange and supporting foreign economic initiatives.