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The cultural diversity of the Northern Caucusus

Doc. 10345
19 October 2004

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Baroness Hooper and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

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1.       The Northern Caucusus or Ciscaucasia,, with an area of 254 300 km� and 13.5 million inhabitants, is a region of southern Russia a virtually ignored by public opinion apart from the grave crises which have attracted notice of late.

2.       It is nonetheless a region of immense cultural wealth and diversity: its peoples speak some forty languages and dialects (Adyghe, Balkar Dagestanian, Ingush, Kabardian, Karachay, Ossetic, Chechen and many others) and belong to six religions: Judaism, Buddhism, Orthodow and Monophysite Christianity and Sunni and Shia Islam.

3.       The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly regrets that the systematic neglect of the problems relating to upbringing, education and tolerance to other cultures and religions may breed violence.

4.       The Assembly is firmly convinced that the lack of intercultural and inter-faith dialogue is one of the major reasons for the violence and democratic instability currently experienced by the Northern Caucusus.

5.       The Parliamentary Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers turn its attention to the Northern Caucusus region in order to:

          i. establish a permanent intercultural and inter-faith dialogue among the peoples of the region;

          ii. promote knowledge of their cultures;

          iii. encourage the preparation and implementation of programmes in the various fields of culture, education, heritage, youth and sport;

          iv. foster dialogue and cultural co-operation beween the peoples of the Northern Caucusus and the Southern Caucusus.

Signed ^[1]:
HOOPER, United Kingdom, EDG
EVIN, Claude, France, SOC
GLESENER, Marcel, Luxembourg, EPP/CD
GROSS, Andreas, Switzerland, SOC
GUBERT, Renzo, Italy, EPP/CD
HUSEYNOV, Rafael, Azerbaijan, LDR
KANELLI, Liana, Greece, UEL
KOCHARYAN, Shavarsh, Armenia, LDR
KOROBEYNIKOV, Anatoliy, Russia, SOC
LEGENDRE, Jacques, France, EPP/CD
LOBKOWICZ, Jaroslav, Czech Republic, EPP/CD
SASI, Kimmo, Finland, EPP/CD
SCHREINER, Bernard, France, EPP/CD
SKARB�VIK, Elsa, Norway, EPP/CD
SUDARENKOV, Valeriy, Russia, SOC

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[1]

SOC EPP EDG LDR UEL NR

Socialist Group Group of the European People’s Party European Democratic Group Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group Group of the Unified European Left Not registered in a group