Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will chair on Friday a meeting of the Russian State Council focusing on measures to strengthen interethnic peace in Russian society.
Interethnic problems came to the foreground in mid-December, when a Moscow football fan was shot dead in a brawl with migrants from Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus region.
The incident sparked race-hate riots and ethnic clashes across Russia, including a brawl between over 5,000 nationalists and police outside the Kremlin walls on December 11.
A source in the State Council said Friday's meeting was expected to address the issue of "modernizing laws in the national policy sphere... the development of coordination between all levels and branches of power, and cooperation between state institutions and public organizations dealing with ethnic issues."
The president will discuss with State Council members the development of inter-regional cultural ties and educational projects aimed at harmonizing inter-ethnic relations, he said.
Medvedev also discussed the ethnic issue with the State Council in December, when he dropped the planned agenda that focused on family and children's problems and turned to government efforts aimed at fighting xenophobia.
MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
