The Third World Congress of Compatriots gathered delegates from 90 countries
"We need a mechanism to support compatriots in terms of protecting their rights and interests," he said. "The Russian government is working on the possibility of resolving this issue. The possibility of creating a fund for the support and protection of the rights of compatriots living abroad is currently being considered," the president added. He believes that the country's leadership will be able to solve such a task.
Medvedev noted that protecting the rights and interests of compatriots is one of the most complex and important topics. "Any decisions that go against international norms should not go unnoticed. We cannot totally influence all processes taking place in other states, but it is important that they do not go unnoticed," he concluded. The president asked non-governmental compatriot organizations to respond to violations of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens abroad.
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, in his speech touching on the same topic, called the process against former Soviet partisan Vasily Kononov unfair. He was arrested in Latvia in 1998 on charges of genocide and was in custody until 2000 – then he was sentenced by a court to one and a half years in prison. In June 2008, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Latvian authorities violated the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and ordered 30,000 euros to be recovered as moral compensation. However, in October of this year, the Latvian government filed an appeal with the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, which was granted. Currently, Kononov’s case is being reconsidered in the Grand Chamber of the ECHR.
"If in the end Kononov is convicted – and it is hard to find another word – it will have far-reaching consequences," Luzhkov stated. "Thus, at the highest judicial level – not only of the State of Latvia, but of the European Union – a precedent will be created for condemning all Soviet people for being citizens of the Soviet Union and fulfilling their sacred duty to the Motherland during the war," the Moscow mayor explained. He recalled that the Russian side allocates funds to cover Kononov's procedural costs and fully supports him. Luzhkov noted that in the Baltic states, as well as in other republics of the former USSR, there are problems with the Russian language: "The Russian language is being harshly and cynically squeezed out, the rights of the Russian-speaking population are being violated." "The problem is not in the attitude towards the Russian language and ethnic Russians on the part of the Ukrainian people, who are fraternal to us, but the situation is determined by the attitude of the official authorities of that state both towards our country and the Russian people," he is convinced. "We cannot stand aside and observe such an attitude towards Russian people and the Russian language," Luzhkov urged.
The president noted that additional funds will be allocated to support the Russian language, including to the Russkiy Mir Foundation. The head of the foundation, Vyacheslav Nikonov, explained to journalists that he heard about the increase in funding from the head of state's speech, so he is currently unable to say what amount might be involved.
Medvedev intends to amend the law on compatriots as well, in particular, the very concept of "compatriot abroad" will be clarified. "Public compatriot organizations will be able to register such people and issue appropriate certificates," the president explained. At the same time, he assured that no one would be specially "driven" home under the compatriot resettlement program.
As Gazeta.Ru notes, more than 500 delegates from 90 countries gathered at the Third World Congress of Compatriots.