The opening ceremony of the 12th Center of interethnic cooperation in Kalevala
On August 15 the 12th Center of interethnic cooperation was opened in Kalevala within the framework of project “Common World: support for harmonization of interethnic relations in the Republic of Karelia”. The project is implemented by a non-commercial partnership “Karelian resource Centre of non-governmental organizations” supported by the Ministry of national policy, relations with public and religious associations.
Since 2007 there are 11 Centers of interethnic cooperation in Karelia opened within the framework of Karelian resource Center’s projects which serve to develop interethnic relations at the level of municipal districts and cities of Karelia. They provide information and cultural services, hold seminars and round tables for people on such issues as interethnic cooperation, migrant adaptation to the host community, ethno-cultural events with the participation of local national public associations.
Generally such Centers are opened on the base of district libraries but the new 12th Center started to work on the base of Ethnocultural center Kalevalatolo in a historical House of Moberg in Kalevala. Temporary Acting Head of the Republic of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov participated in the opening of the Center of interethnic cooperation. In his speech he paid attention to the importance of collaboration of authorities and public organizations in the field of the interethnic relation development and also he pointed the importance of the House of Moberg which has become a cultural center of Kalevala as a platform for the Center of interethnic cooperation.
After the Center’s opening there was an extended meeting of the Council for interethnic relations and relations with religious associations with the Head of the Administration of the Kalevala municipal district. Andrey Manin, the minister of national policy of the Republic of Karelia, the representatives of the district administration, the Karelian resource Center, the Kalevala municipal district’s public associations and Ethnocultural center Kalevalatolo took part in the meeting. The participants listened to the report of Andrey Manin about work of the Ministry in the sphere of interethnic relations. The representatives of the public associations shared their experience on projects and hosting events in that sphere.
