Smirnova briefed the Committee members on the establishment of the International Assembly of Peoples of Eurasia whose first congress is to take place in May 2017, comprising the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as other states interested in cooperation in Eurasia, Serbia among them.

The Assembly of Peoples of Russia signed a cooperation agreement with the organisation “Our Serbia” with the idea of promoting Eurasian integration and friendship among the nations.

The Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region MA Ivan Kostic said that each meeting between the Serbian and Russian people, as people of the same faith and origins, contributes to the intensification of relations, which will yield positive results in the future.

He presented the Committee’s scope of activity, adding that about 20,000 Serbian citizens are currently living in Russia. He invited the representatives of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia to include Serbs into their efforts, especially since the Russian state values differences.

“Engaging the Serbian diaspora in the Assembly of Peoples of Russia will undoubtedly improve the relations between your organisation and the bodies of the National Assembly”, said Kostic.

He added that Serbian politicians are well-aware of the significance of the Eurasian economic zone, hoping that Serbia would accept the invitation to be an associate member of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The meeting, attended by Committee members Jadranka Jovanovic, Ivan Bauer and Zoran Radojicic, as well as MPs Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Djordje Vukadinovic and Aleksandar Markovic, also touched on the initiative to re-open a Serbian school in Moscow, how to improve scientific and cultural cooperation between Serbia and Russia, the impact of the diaspora on the maintenance of cultural identity, etc.

The delegation of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia also comprised Marina Yurievna Martynova, Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Science, and Prof. Dr Venaliy Vladimirovich Amelin, first deputy chair of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, organisation founded 18 years ago for the purpose of preserving the ethnological and culturological identity of the Russian people.