BelSU hosts discussion on pressing issues of migration and intercultural adaptation of students

Chaired by Olga Medvedeva, Deputy Governor for Domestic Policy and head of the Council on Inter-ethnic Relations, the meeting brought together representatives of various departments and executive bodies. Several district and city administration officers joined the event via videoconference.

According to Olga Medvedeva, the Belgorod Region is not experiencing migration pressure, but it is necessary to adapt and integrate newcomers into living in the Belgorod region. She emphasized that while hostile forces kept failing to defeat Russia on the battlefield, they were still trying to “shake the country loose” from within.

‘Today’s main task for federal, regional and municipal executive authorities, businesses, and representatives of diasporas is to minimize risks,’ stated Olga Medvedeva .

‘Especially since our region is a border region. Therefore, national stability, friendly relations between nations, and religious stability are what will help the region survive in modern conditions,’ she added.

Speaking about migration policy and the adaptation of foreign citizens, Olga Medvedeva drew the participants’ attention to the experience gained by BelSU. On a regular basis, BelSU offers its Seminar Foreign Citizen: Adaptation, Integration, Favourable Environment. Among the Seminar’s participants are representatives of the regional executive authorities, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Belgorod Region, and leaders of national groups. At the events, scheduled in the Seminar, they discuss topical issues of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign citizens studying at the university, as well as labour migrants coming to the Belgorod Region.

The head of the regional department of the Federal Security Service of Russia Alexander Strebkov, spoke about some facts of migration law violation found in the Belgorod region. The Minister of Culture of the Belgorod region Konstantin Kurgansky spoke about social and cultural adaptation. According to him, in the year’s period, the region had conducted about two thousand events to introduce non-natives to the history and culture of Russia. Officers of the Belgorod and Stary Oskol urban district administrations presented the measures aimed at strengthening inter-ethnic harmony. Director of the BelSU International information centre Olga Lyutova shared the experience gained in the multicultural education and intercultural adaptation of students. According to her, BelSU integrates young people into a multinational team to get acquainted with the national cultures of other nations. The large-scale work involves all 18 student associations, curators, teachers and representatives of the rector's office. The Centre’s director presented the best practices that provided for the positive outcomes achieved: campaigns, creative events and themed meetings. Deputy Governor of the Belgorod Region, Minister of Youth Affairs of the Belgorod Region Tatyana Kireeva devoted her speech to a very important subject of countering the spread of radical nationalist ideology and extremist ideas among young people. The head of the internal policy department of the Ministry of Public Communications of the Belgorod Region Anna Ovsyannikova reported to the participants the results of monitoring the current state of inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations in the region.