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Opening the meeting, Magomedsalam Magomedov noted the public response to the issue of teaching Russian and other languages of Russia at school. At the session of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations in Yoshkar-Ola (Republic of Mari El) held on July 20, 2017, the President made a point of reminding regional leaders that the study of languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation is voluntary.

In this context, Mr Magomedov recommended that the Council members carefully examine this sensitive issue. The Ministry of Education and Science was advised to elaborate a model and provide relevant explanations in order to preserve the necessary linguistic balance, established by the Constitution of Russia, of countrywide study of the official Russian language and respect for the rights of citizens to freely choose the language they use for communication, childrearing, education and creative pursuits.

At the meeting, Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Igor Barinov made a report on implementing the instructions issued by the President after previous Council meetings.

Deputy Chairman of the Council Presidium, Academician Valery Tishkov delivered a report on expert and analytical support for the implementation of the Strategy for the State Ethnic Policy of the Russian Federation through 2025, including the work of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Scientific Council on Interrelated Problems of Ethnicity and Interethnic Relations established in accordance with the presidential instruction of March 2017. Under the plan, academic-consultative and expert-analytical platforms of the Council for Interethnic Relations will be set up on the basis of RAS institutes and leading universities.

The Council Presidium has already discussed the candidates for the presidential prize for promoting the unity of the Russian nation. The head of state will determine the winner of the prize following a regular meeting of the Council next October. The President will confer the prize on the winner as part of the gala events held for National Unity Day.