Külügyi Szemle - A Teleki László Intézet Külpolitikai Tanulmányok Központja folyóirata - 2003 (2. évfolyam)
2003 / 3. szám - EURÓPA - Sáfi Csaba: A Few Words on the Federal Law on State policy of the Russian Federation with regard to Fellow Countrymen Abroad
Csaba Saß dealing with the protection of minorities. This was especially conspicuous in the case of the Baltic states. The introduction of the Russian criticism of the policy of Estonia and Latvia with regard to fellow countrymen in the international arena in part ensued because the region was geopolitically important to Russia. Namely the RF sought to maintain so much as possible of her earlier economic, political, and military positions in the region. It demonstrates the duality of Russian foreign policy, however, that - again, starting out from political considerations -, on the government level, Russians refrain from the open criticism of the Ukrainisation, which could be regarded as aggressive, and the determined intervention against the undeniably disadvantageous discrimination of fellow countrymen living in Central Asia. In criticism, it can be said that should this approach become prominent, this may imply numerous dangers with regard to fellow countrymen with a disadvantageous effect on the Russian and Russian-speaking population. Any assistance provided to fellow countrymen, even if it seems legitimate and based on good intentions, may be perceived in most of the successor states as an attempt at the re-establishment of the empire. For this reason, promoting the development and/or restoration of mutually advantageous economic relations might seem more effective on the part of the Russians. Namely, this could be one of the cheapest and most lasting solutions for the prevention and/or management of nationality conflicts for the successor states as well - even if it would surely and, given the circumstances, inevitably entail the appearance of Russian capital. The emphasis is, naturally, on mutually advantageous co-operation and not on one that would secure unilateral advantages based on superior strength. Since no unified official concept had developed in Russia in connection to the policy with regard to fellow countrymen prior to the adoption of the law, the establishment of the legal principles also took a long time. The first document appeared only in 1994: the Presidential Decree (Ukaz) on the Main Direction of the State Policy of the Russian Federation with regard to Fellow Countrymen Abroad.17 The government regulation that belongs to the decree enumerates the most important measures which need to be carried out for the sake of fellow countrymen living in the successor states of the former Soviet Union, that is, in the CIS and the Baltic states.18 The documents set forth that the fellow countrymen living in these countries are indeed in a serious, primarily cultural, economic, legal, and, following from this, psychological condition and need the assistance of the RF. Russia starts out from the fact that the fellow countrymen have a right to live in the country in which the were born and where they have been living for many years. And it is the duty of these states to look after these people and secure them the civic, political, economic, social, and cultural rights that are their due. At the same time, the assistance provided to fellow countrymen has to be based on bilateral agreements adopted between Russia and the given state and mutually accepted measures. The reason for this is, first, the legal-civic status of fellow 38 Külügyi Szemle
