OREANDA-NEWS. April 28, 2008. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov received on April 25 Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, on a working visit to Russia, for a conversation.

An exchange of views took place on a broad range of issues relating to cooperation between Russia and the Council of Europe in the legal and humanitarian fields. The sides spoke for preserving the active role of this Organization in building Europe without dividing lines and for promoting the development of intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

The outcomes of the visit of Thomas Hammarberg to North Caucasus (on April 21-24) and of his talks with Ramzan Kadyrov, Murat Zyazikov and Mukhu Aliyev, Heads of the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Republic of Dagestan respectively, as well as with representatives of nongovernmental organizations were discussed.

The Commissioner noted improvements in the living conditions in the North Caucasus Region, in particular, achievements in the work of restoring the economy of the Chechen Republic and of creating conditions for its ongoing socioeconomic development.

Questions of human rights observance in Transcaucasia, particularly in Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, also were touched upon.

Sergey Lavrov voiced concern about the continuing discrimination against the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Latvia and Estonia and about the infringements of their political, socioeconomic, linguistic and educational rights. The minister also drew the Commissioner’s attention to the problem of the dwindling Russian language space in Ukraine.

The sides reaffirmed their readiness for joint cooperation directed at the prevention of human rights abuses on the European continent.