International Russian Council

The International Russian Council (IRC; Russian: Международный русский совет) is a Russia–Turkey international foundation that studies problems of self-identification among the indigenous peoples of Russia. According to its founding narrative, the organization began in 2012 in Saint Petersburg, where a network group of scholars and public activists formed a discussion club that became the council's predecessor. In 2020 the non-commercial foundation was officially registered in Istanbul, Turkey. The council's stated mission is to support national self-identification and the development of national cultures, and to create conditions for the respectful and harmonious coexistence of all peoples on the territory of Russia. Its tasks include broadening knowledge and understanding of national problems and seeking ways to resolve them, preventing separatism, and preventing discrimination on ethnic grounds. Its main lines of activity are scholarly research; interaction with national-cultural autonomies of the regions; organizing public events and conferences; and working with mass media to draw public attention. Among the most important measures carried out and planned by the council are studying and analyzing separatist sentiment in Russia; examining discrimination against minorities in Russia on the basis of international legal provisions and national laws; and investigating problems of national self-identification in Russia, including goals, motives, stereotypes, and their influence on conflicts and protest sentiment. It also produces the "Together" (Бергә) article almanac, runs "Days of Regional Culture" to introduce residents of various regions to the culture and customs of national minorities, holds "Days of Tolerance" to teach students skills of respectful inter-ethnic communication, and organizes the IRC international conference. In its work the council maintains partnerships with the Center for European Constitutional Law and Human Rights, the Open Society Foundation, the International Center "Cultural Bridge," the Institute for Central Asian Studies, the International Center for the Study of Minorities and Intercultural Relations, the Society for the Preservation of Endangered Languages, and other organizations. The council is a non-commercial foundation rather than a commercial enterprise, and its public profile is tied to research, publishing, and cultural-educational programming rather than to consumer products or retail.

The history of the International Russian Council begins in 2012 in Saint Petersburg, where members of a network group drawn from scholars and public activists organized a discussion club. That club became the predecessor of the International Russian Council. In 2020 the non-commercial foundation was officially registered in Istanbul, Turkey, giving the network a formal legal base outside Russia. From that base the council developed a program combining scholarly research with public and cultural work. Its research agenda centers on national self-identification in Russia, separatist sentiment, and discrimination against minorities, analyzed against international legal provisions and national laws. Alongside research, it interacts with national-cultural autonomies of the regions, organizes public events and conferences, and works with mass media to draw public attention to its themes. Its recurring initiatives include the "Together" (Бергә) article almanac, "Days of Regional Culture" that introduce residents of various regions to the culture and customs of national minorities, "Days of Tolerance" that train students in respectful inter-ethnic communication, and the IRC international conference. The council also maintains partnership relations with organizations including the Center for European Constitutional Law and Human Rights, the Open Society Foundation, the International Center "Cultural Bridge," the Institute for Central Asian Studies, the International Center for the Study of Minorities and Intercultural Relations, and the Society for the Preservation of Endangered Languages.

• 2020

  The non-commercial foundation is officially registered in Istanbul, Turkey.

• 2012

  A network group of scholars and public activists in Saint Petersburg organizes a discussion club, the predecessor of the International Russian Council.

A non-commercial research and cultural-educational foundation focused on national self-identification, minority rights, and anti-separatism in Russia.

• "Together" (Бергә) article almanac

• "Days of Regional Culture"

• "Days of Tolerance"

• IRC international conference

1. 1International Russian Council — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Халыҡ-ара рус советы — Wikipedia (Bashkir)ba.wikipedia.org