No longer the first among equals? On July 24, 2017, the agreement on the delimitation of jurisdictions and powers between the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan, which has been operating in a new form since 2007, expires on July 24, 2017. By 2017, Tatarstan remained the only subject of our country where the president is the head of the region. Today it became known that the Presidential Administration will recommend to Vladimir Putin not to renew the agreement with Tatarstan. Why is the Kremlin taking such a step and what is the fate of further relations between the "special" region and federal center- in the material "FederalPress".
As writes Chief Editor radio "Echo of Moscow" Alexey Venediktov, The Presidential Administration will recommend to the head of state not to renew the federal agreement with Tatarstan. Venediktov announced this on his Telegram channel, referring to a federal official high level... According to the media manager, the Presidential Administration discussed different variants, but the opinion of the curator of the internal political bloc - the deputy head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kirienko, who believes that there is no need to prolong the contract.
Symbol or subject of conflict?
Russian political scientists, both federal and living directly in Tatarstan, note that the existing agreement was mostly symbolic. Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Institute of Social and Philosophical Sciences and Media Communications, Kazan Federal University Victor Sidorov told FederalPress that the expiration of this document will not affect the lives of ordinary people.
“Such agreements have their own functions, pluses and minuses, in different time there is a different request for an agreement both on the part of the center and on the part of the subject of the federation. To some extent, the agreement can be useful, it can strengthen the federal principles. In 2007, the treaty was needed as a symbol of the federal foundations of Russia, so it was extended. [The first president of Tatarstan] Mintimer Shaimiev possessed enormous weight and promoted the treaty precisely as a symbol of the federation. Perhaps a formal agreement will be replaced by informal agreements - then no one will lose, ”the expert noted.
The position of a political scientist Andrey Kolyadin consonant with the one voiced by Viktor Sidorov. He also believes that informal agreements are much more important. At the same time, he noted that the decision to not extend the agreement can be justified by the fact that the Presidential Administration wants to eliminate any imbalances within the state, thereby preventing the development of separatist sentiments in the regions.
“The agreement created special conditions for the existence of a separate republic. It is absolutely clear that other republics were interested in not having worse conditions, and maybe even better ones. Any imbalance within the state causes envy and a desire to achieve the same results in negotiations with the state. In the end, this leads to certain attempts at separatism. Based on this, it is probably not entirely correct to create special conditions. It is necessary to build relationships on the basis of federal programs, relevant projects that do not worsen life in this territory, ”Kolyadin said.
Despite the exceptional symbolism of the agreement, its non-renewal may lead to certain political implications... Inside, the elite confrontation in the Republic of Tatarstan may escalate. And the positions [of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan] Rustam Minnikhanov may weaken. This point of view was expressed by a political scientist Abbas Gallyamov in an interview with a FederalPress correspondent.
“This will lead to the political weakening of the current leader. Naturally, the number of conflicts will increase. Therefore, I think that the Kremlin will nevertheless prolong the agreement. Unless he decided to change Minnikhanov, but this is unlikely. He is loyal, so in general there is no need to change him. Gradually, the power will weaken, there will be more disorder. Therefore, I think that it will be extended, ”Gallyamov summed up.
The press service of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan refused to talk to the FederalPress correspondent about the fate of the document. "We do not comment on this topic," said the deputy head of the press service of the head of the region Lazzat Khaidarov.
However, in general, the position of the leadership of the republic on the treaty is known. As the newspaper "Kommersant" wrote on June 26, Rustam Minnikhanov, in a conversation with the newspaper, noted that the new agreements do not worsen, but increase the responsibility of a particular territory before the federal center. In turn, the chairman State Council RT Farid Mukhametshin announced a year ago that the agreement should be extended. Mintimer Shaimiev adheres to the same position. According to Kommersant, in April at the congress of the peoples of Tatarstan, the politician stated that the agreement could be extended without any changes in its content as a constitutional norm, which would help to strengthen the federal foundations of the entire state. “Considering the constructive nature of this agreement, the results of which we see in the successful development of the republic, it has the right to life,” said Shaimiev then, who also held the position of adviser to Sergei Kiriyenko on a voluntary basis.
How did it all begin?
Let's go deeper into history. Tatarstan first appeared on the map of Russia in 1920, when the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. The region existed on the basis of autonomy within Soviet Russia until August 30, 1990. Then the Supreme Council of the Tatarstan Soviet Socialist Republic adopted a declaration on the state sovereignty of Tatarstan. In 1992, the entity received its current name. At the same time, a referendum on the state status of the Republic of Tatarstan took place. In the same year, local authorities refused to sign a federal agreement with the Russian Federation, and in the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan adopted on November 30, 1992, the region was named a sovereign state.
Despite all the difficulties, the agreement on the delineation of powers was signed. It happened two and a half years after the collapse Soviet Union- February 15, 1994. Tatarstan was allowed to have its own Constitution and legislation, levy republican taxes and form a republican budget. The region also had the right to pardon convicts by local courts, independently resolve issues of the legal profession and notaries. In addition, state authorities, according to the document, had the right to carry out legal regulation administrative, family, housing relations, relations in the field of protection environment and nature management. At the same time, the bowels of the republic, according to the document, belonged to the people living in the territory of the subject.
The delimitation of the subjects of jurisdiction and the mutual delegation of powers between the center and the region was based on three legislative acts - the Constitution of Tatarstan, the Constitution of Russia and the concluded agreement.
6 years later, Tatarstan became an "equal" subject of the Russian Federation with sovereign powers. And in 2002, the region brought its constitution into line with the federal one.
In 2006, Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new agreement on the delineation of powers. It establishes the joint use of natural resources, the use of two state languages - Russian and Tatar within the framework. At the same time, the head of the subject is obliged to equally own both. 11 years ago, the agreement drew criticism from the Federation Council, which vetoed it. However, on June 26, 2007 new edition the agreement was nevertheless accepted. It expires on July 24, 2017.
Photo: press service of the President of Russia
Russian President Refuses to Maintain Special Treaty with Tatarstan July 12th, 2017
And you probably already forgot what the times were. As the regions "took as much sovereignty as they could carry" and there were real attempts of Yakutia to secede from Russia. And what was happening at that time in the republics - this is generally a specific dual power of local princes. They had their own Constitutions, their own Presidents, etc. As some say, "Russia was spreading to the sides" and the central government was often "not a decree" at all.
Here is today's echo of those times: The Kremlin does not intend to renew the agreement on the delineation of powers between Russia and Tatarstan, as well as to conclude a new one. Republican authorities ask for concessions in return
Let's remember a little the history of this issue ...
The practice of signing agreements on the delineation of powers between the federal center and the regions was widespread under the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin. By 1998, the Kremlin had concluded treaties with 46 regions.
The first agreement delimiting the powers of Russia and Tatarstan was concluded in 1994. The state authorities of the republic received the right to levy their own taxes, resolve issues of republican citizenship, create their own National Bank, resolve issues of ownership, use and disposal of natural resources, which, according to the document, were "the exclusive property and property of the people of Tatarstan."
After Vladimir Putin became president, the practice of such agreements gradually faded away. Tatarstan remains the only region whose relations with Moscow are regulated by an agreement. In a document dated 2007, the authorities of the republic were granted the right to issue passports with an insert "in the state language of the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatar) and with the image of the state emblem of the Republic of Tatarstan." Moreover, in paragraph 1 of Art. 2 of the document states that in accordance with the Constitution of Russia and the Constitution of the Republic, "Tatarstan (state) - a subject of the Russian Federation - has all the fullness of state power outside the limits of jurisdiction" and the powers of Russia "in matters of joint jurisdiction."
The agreement on the delineation of powers between Russia and Tatarstan, which was of a purely symbolic nature, was approved on July 24, 2007 for a period of ten years, that is, until July 24, 2017. At the same time, the Speaker of the State Council of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin told RBC that the agreement expires on August 11, 2017, since it came into force on that day ten years ago.
The authorities of the republic do not agree with the position of the Kremlin and are trying to challenge it, says an interlocutor of RBC close to the presidential administration. In Tatarstan, the situation is perceived rather sharply, says another source close to the Kremlin, RBC. The republican authorities would be satisfied if the federal center went to extend the expiring agreement, no one insisted on the new document, he says.
Ideally, the republic's authorities would like the document to be preserved in one form or another, but knowing that the federal center is not ready for this, “they are trying to bargain for preferences for themselves,” says a federal official. In particular, according to him, the issue of the current name of the highest official Tatarstan. The fact is that this is the only republic in the Russian Federation, the leader of which is called the “president”, while the rest of the republics have “heads”. In addition, there is a problem of disproportionate representation of persons of Tatar and Russian nationalities in the republic’s authorities, adds the interlocutor of RBC.
A source close to the leadership of Tatarstan told RBC that at present the republican and federal authorities are discussing the situation with the agreement and are deciding how to compensate for its absence. RBC's interlocutor did not want to comment on the question in more detail.
The deputy head of the press service of the President of Tatarstan Lazzat Khaidarov told RBC that he would not comment on the issue of extending the agreement, as well as possible preferences for the republic. “We urge to extend the contract so as not to disturb people. We would like it to be there, ”Farid Mukhametshin told RBK. He declined to comment further.
Despite the fact that the agreement between Moscow and Kazan is purely symbolic, its cancellation could offend the republican elites, political scientist Rostislav Turovsky believes. "The agreement underlines the status of Tatarstan and, although symbolically, it raises it above the rest of the subjects," the expert said. Especially great importance this superiority has for the old elites, which are represented in the republic by ex-President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and Chairman of the State Council Farid Mukhametshin. But, according to the political scientist, for the current president Rustam Minnikhanov, although he is a "technocratic leader", the agreement is important. Refusal to prolong the document or replace it with a new one will be a rather strong blow for Minnikhanov, Turovsky is sure.
The absence of any agreement on the delineation of powers may have Negative consequences not only for the republic, but also for the federal center - in the context of the upcoming presidential elections, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov believes. “Apparently, the Kremlin has decided that it is more important for it not to support Minnikhanov, weakened by the winter banking crisis, but to demonstrate its strength in dialogue with him. In fact, in other regions this demonstration will simply not be noticed by the forces, but in Tatarstan, protest moods will intensify, ”the political scientist explains.
Minnikhanov is "too pragmatist" to worry about the cancellation of a nominal document that does not bring any benefit to the republic, political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko is sure. The decision not to extend the validity of the document was agreed upon ten years ago, so the absence of a new document will not come as a surprise to anyone, including local elites, the expert concludes.
There is no particular danger for the Kremlin in the non-extension of the agreement with Tatarstan, believes the chairman of the republican branch of Yabloko Ruslan Zinatullin. According to him, Tatarstan will react negatively to Moscow's initiative, but Minnikhanov, as a politician, is weaker than the previous president of the republic, Mintimer Shaimiev, and will not be able to defend the status of the republic before the Kremlin. For the republic, despite the fact that over the years the treaty gave Tatarstan less and less real preferences, this symbolic status still remains important, so withdrawal from the treaty will weaken Minnikhanov, Zinatullin is sure.
In theory, the president of Tatarstan can use republican nationalists and give green light their protests against the policies of the federal center, but local nationalists in last years have weakened and their performances are unlikely to be massive, says the leader of the Yabloko group.
sources
The contract between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan expires today
The 2007 agreement on the delimitation of jurisdictions and powers between the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the state authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan has only a few hours left to live. It will become known very soon whether it will be prolonged, a new agreement will be signed or there will be no agreement.
Let us remind that Article 1 of the Tatarstan Constitution says that "The Republic of Tatarstan is a democratic legal state, united with the Russian Federation by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Treaty of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan." But, as you know, an unprintable word is written on the shed, and there is firewood. We decided to ask our experts if this is the case.
Tabris YARULLIN, chairman The World Forum Tatar youth:
Of course, there is a need to prolong the Treaty. They do not give up such things voluntarily in politics at the state level. Prolongation must take place, and this applies not only to ideology. Quite specific things are spelled out in the contract - for example, international relationships RT. Usually people ask what the contract gives me, how it will affect my pocket. This is an understandable question, everyone counts money, and I think there is an answer to it. Under the agreement, Tatarstan can conduct independent international activities, and in our country it is practically never connected with politics, but always connected with attracting investments. For example, I believe that the success of the Alabuga FEZ, which alone produces as much as all the Russian FEZs put together, including an indicator that the authorities of Tatarstan have quite successfully implemented this clause of the treaty.
Second. We are the only republic that has its own representative office in the Russian Federation, which is spelled out in the Agreement. It is an effective body, not a nominal and not just a representative organization. A very active working body, and its head is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, that is, it is included in the TOP-10 of the first persons of the leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Well, naturally, as a representative of the Tatar organization, I am worried about the fact that the agreement contains a clause on the support of an original culture outside of Tatarstan. We know that we have the World Congress of Tatars and a huge network of Tatar public organizations around the world. Recently, Kazan hosted a congress of VKT, which was attended by representatives of 40 countries. This is a great power, and it would be wrong not to be friends with such organizations. And it seems to me that the federal center also understands this very well. We often hear about the Russian world, Russia maintains relations with foreign Russian diasporas, and Tatarstan undertakes to support them with the Tatars and fulfills it quite successfully.
The clause of the agreement concerning the Tatar language is very important. This is very important for the Tatars. We're so holding on to Tatar language, because it seems to us that this is our last stronghold, having lost which we will lose all barriers to complete dissolution, and the nation will not remain. Therefore, I think it is hyper important that the agreement be prolonged. I think that the treaty is needed not only for Tatarstan, but also for Russia. After all, there is such a thing at the level of myth that Tatarstan lives well, since the federal center always supports here big projects to show that we have other nations. Here you are, Tatars, they live well, they have Tatarstan, a fairly independent republic, strong, and we support them. This is the kind of federalism we have, democratic, with strong regions. In terms of prestige and attractiveness, it is very cool that Russia has an agreement with its regions. It is a country that knows how to negotiate and solve problems not only in a unitary, one-sided and uniform way for everyone, but flexibly and democratically. Knows how to find different solutions... It seems to me that only for this could Russia support the prolongation of the concluded agreement.
The question is often asked why only Tatarstan should have an agreement with Moscow, if other subjects of the Federation do not have one. There is a simple answer to it. The main thing is whether the region itself wants this. If everything suits him, very good. If not, then he himself should raise this issue and lobby for the conclusion of the agreement. Local people know better how to live, and in each case there should be a different approach.
Mikhail SHCHEGLOV, Chairman of the Society of Russian Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan:
I believe that there is absolutely no need to either prolong or conclude an agreement. Because it is not accepted to conclude agreements between children and parents. Tatarstan is a constituent entity of the Federation, and, frankly speaking, I consider it simply impudence to demand for myself some kind of exclusivity among dozens of other constituent entities of the Russian Federation. As if the Republic of Tatarstan is so special that it is necessary to conclude an agreement with it alone. We do not have a treaty federation, it was not formed by merging with it on some terms. I consider this topic historically exhausted, because I lived here in those days when people in green armbands were brought to Kazan by buses from the villages, who shouted in the streets "Azatlyk!", And if someone came out and said that he was Russian and against their sovereignty, he probably would have simply been killed. Thank God, this time has passed, but then Mintimer Shaimiev pointed to the raging square and said: "We must listen to the voice of the people."
All the people from the Tatar Public Center, the organization that was then in the lead in this matter, gradually dispersed to the academies and other warm places. I believe that the issue of the sovereignty and statehood of the Tatar people is objectively historically exhausted. All these thirty years the Tatars were in power and absolutely dominated, moreover, the condo village ones, including the current ones. The Russians did not interfere with their aspirations to take more sovereignty and build their own state, although, of course, it was a pity that the federal center left them to their fate. And at present, the Tatar people have exhausted the potential of their statehood, and it is pointless to cling to some straws now. Even at the congress of the World Congress of Tatars, Rustam Minnikhanov himself said that Tatarstan is a part of Russia without Russia. Why then still puff up and try, bypassing the federal center, to go out to other countries in the form of an independent entity and mislead them? And even more so to flirt with the Islamic world on behalf of the main Islamic region, which has an agreement with the federal center, and declare that we have a Muslim region. We need to build a unified system government controlled where every nation can have its own uniqueness and be proud of it, but everything should be like in school. There, too, an individual approach is needed, but lessons are given to everyone in the same way, and then they give marks - you are "2", and you are "5". There is one more subjective factor - this is Shaimiev's team. Thirty years ago, she came to management with a dream to revive the state of the Tatar people. Powdered the brains of everyone, including Russians, so much that in 1992 63% voted for the sovereign state of the Republic of Tatarstan. Because everyone was told: "Your child will automatically be born a millionaire, like in Saudi Arabia, because we have oil." And who has this oil now?
Nikolay IGNATIEV , Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science, Kazan Federal University:
The first agreement of 1994 was inevitable and necessary in those historical conditions of the formation of a new Russian state, a new federation. It is known that after the conclusion of an agreement between Tatarstan and Moscow, a number of other constituent entities of the Russian Federation followed the example of our republic. Zero years, the times of Vladimir Putin changed the situation in Russian federalism and the need to conclude such agreements practically disappeared. And the fact that in 2007 this agreement with Moscow was extended to Tatarstan meant absolutely nothing, since the agreement of the second option very remotely resembled the first agreement. But for the Tatarstan elite it was a kind of self-consolation, and now again some of its circles have begun to raise the issue of extending or concluding a new agreement. I think that such an agreement is needed, first of all, by the Tatarstan elite itself, in order to have certain preferences from Moscow and to behave in society more free from the unresponsive federal eye. But I think that for the majority of the inhabitants of the republic, this agreement, one might say, is a sideline, since the satisfaction of vital needs does not in the least depend on this agreement. And the elite, of course, need it for the formation of an independent deputy corps, in which the moneybags go. Moreover, the difference between the level of income of the Tatarstan elite and ordinary residents of Tatarstan is very significant. This suggests that, first of all, she worries about herself, and not about the benefits that this agreement gives to the population of the Republic of Tatarstan. Therefore, my point of view is that those troubled times have passed when it was necessary to conclude agreements on a special delimitation of powers, subjects of jurisdiction of republics or regions with the federal center, because then he himself had not yet decided on his perspective. And the current relative stabilization does not require any special protrusion of the only treaty in the country with Tatarstan. In addition, the recent congress of the World Congress of Tatars, held in Kazan, showed that there is some kind of tacit agreement between the Russian and Tatarstan leaderships not to raise this issue, or our elite has come to understand that the agreement is a pure decoration and that it is not worth disturbing the public once again. opinion. Therefore, there were no official statements about the need to extend the contract.
The sixth World Congress of Tatars, which is taking place in Kazan, appealed to Vladimir Putin with a demand to retain the post of President in the republic and created a new governing body in the image of the 1917 National Council. Thus, a century later, the republican ruling elite, in order to protect their political and economic interests, is again trying to restore the instruments for the development of nationalism and separatism.
In order to assess what was happening these days in Tatarstan, it is necessary to understand what the World Congress of Tatars (CGT) is and draw several historical parallels.
The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation registered the VKT on April 24, 1998 - a date, in general, unremarkable, but the action is purely technical. In fact, the first congress of the World Congress of the Tatar People was held in Kazan in 1992. But 1992 is already a key milestone in the history of the republic. Indeed, it was in the spring of this year that Tatarstan refused to sign the Federal Treaty with Russia. And almost immediately it became clear that negotiations on this matter would be, if not hopeless, then very difficult and protracted. And so it happened.
In the fall of 1992, under the new Constitution, the Republic of Tatarstan became a sovereign state; in December 1993, a boycott of the all-Russian vote was announced, which in fact left the new state outside the perimeter of the federal legal field and allowed to elect its own president. The situation for the emerging Russian state turned out to be quite critical - no one needed an autonomous enclave in the very center of the country, it was also unreasonable to follow the path of Chechnya, and on February 15, 1994, in Moscow, the presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan Boris Yeltsin and Mintimer Shaimiev signed an agreement "On the delimitation of jurisdictions and mutual delegation of powers between the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the state authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan." It was a convincing victory for Shaimiev the politician. Within the framework of the agreement, Tatarstan was declared a state united with Russia on very attractive terms for the republic. She received the right to her own Constitution and legislation, the establishment and collection of republican taxes, the introduction of republican citizenship, independence in relations with the subjects of the Russian Federation and foreign states and foreign economic activity. Natural resources were declared "the exclusive property and property of the people of Tatarstan."
The second congress of the World Congress of Tatars was held in 1997, at which the Charter of the organization was adopted. This was the year when, after a certain lull, the first items on the agenda political life The republic again raised issues of national identification and the associated special legal status. After the formation of the Union of Russia and Belarus, Tatarstan announced its desire to independently join it, and a little later the State Council of the republic adopted a resolution to suspend the issuance of passports of a citizen of the Russian Federation of a new type. These are the coincidences.
Of course, the World Congress of Tatars should not be viewed as an independent body capable of solving complex political problems. But the function of the pr-instrument of the authorities of Tatarstan VKT performs quite well. Moreover, this tool is designed, first of all, not for the internal audience, but for the world community. And for the opportunity to promote the right thoughts in the right time the authorities of Tatarstan are ready to pay well. Taxpayer money, of course. In "free time from politics" the congress is very actively involved in holding sabantuys, Tatar quests and other similar events - not very meaningful, but very expensive.
Now the very "right time" has just come. 2017, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov cannot come to an agreement with the Russian federal government on concluding a new agreement on the delineation of powers, a banking crisis is raging in the republic, which the Kremlin, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation are diligently ignoring, and the agenda of the CGT, which for a long time bypassed political issues, again includes burning items. The participants of the congress at the plenary session support the appeal of the State Council of the republic to the president, but not about the need to conclude a new treaty, but about the preservation of the name of the post of the highest state power in the republic - the president. And, in general, it puts everything in its place.
The change in the status of the head of Tatarstan, obviously, will entail a reform of the management system, a redistribution of powers, most likely, it will be necessary to divide resources and assets again. That is, the local ruling clans are ready to fight for their own with all their might, and the treaty, constitution, and other tinsel that works for the good of the republic, and not personalities and families, is not so important. Note that in the speech of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan at the plenary session, the topic of the treaty did not come up even once.
However, there was an attack towards the federal center in Rustam Minnikhanov's speech, moreover, an attack that clearly illustrates the methods that the head of the republic is ready to use in protecting his personal interests. The President announced the creation of a national council on the basis of the "World Congress of Tatars" "Milli Shura"... For those who are not in the know, "Milli Shura" is the National Council, one of the branches of government, created in Tatarstan in 1917 together with the Spiritual Council (Merkaz Dini Shura). Why was such a rollback to the decisions of a very troubled period necessary? Apparently, the stake is again being placed on nationalism and separatism. And no one should be deceived by Rustam Minnikhanov's fiery assurances of loyalty to Vladimir Putin, who acts as a "reliable guarantor of a strong Russia."
They certainly did not deceive the Kremlin. After the plenary session, reports appeared in the federal press citing a source in the presidential administration that Moscow's position on the issue of extending the agreement on the delineation of powers between Russia and Tatarstan has not changed, since "the state should not be built on a treaty basis."
From all that is happening, one can draw a logical, but very unpleasant conclusion. Rustam Minnikhanov, apparently, understands that power is slipping out of his hands, like an intelligent person, he probably realizes that he himself is to blame for this. Indeed, many share the opinion that the head of the republic, apparently, has gone too far, resolving issues of personal and family well-being at the expense of the residents of the republic, and is looking for new tools to fight the federal center, including. In the form of support from Western elites, by inflating the "national question", the formation of an "opposition administration" within the seemingly apolitical CGT. Where it leads? Forecasts are disappointing: deterioration in the quality and stability of life in the republic (primarily, of course, for the population), a new round of the financial crisis, redistribution of property, clan wars. These are Sabantui, it seems, the prosperous republic will celebrate until recently.
KAZAN, June 29 - RIA Novosti, Irina Durnitsyna. The agreement on the delineation of powers between Russia and Tatarstan, which expires in July, should be extended, it does not give the region any preferences, but is important for the stability and political image of the republic, says one of the participants in the development of the agreement, state adviser to the President of Tatarstan on political issues in 1991 -2008, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan Rafail Khakimov.
In February 1994, an agreement was signed in Moscow on the delimitation of jurisdictions and mutual delegation of powers between the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan. The document was signed by the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev. This has become an event for the republic of great importance, which gave the experience of building relations with the federal center in a completely new format.
The current agreement on the delineation of powers was approved in July 2007 by federal law, which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At present, Tatarstan is the only constituent entity of the Russian Federation that has such an agreement with the Russian Federation.
According to the agreement, the republic, in particular, has the right to carry out international relations, support the development of an original national culture outside the region, have a representative office of Tatarstan in Moscow. The document enshrines the norms according to which two state languages- Russian and Tatar, a candidate for the position of the head of the republic must be fluent in both. In addition, the agreement stipulates the right of residents of the republic to have an insert in the Tatar language in their passports.
“For the republic, this is an image, of course, this is political capital that we can negotiate with Moscow. There are no (economic - ed.) Preferences. But in politics it happens that the image is sometimes more important than finances, and large projects always require political intervention And we are still the very first in terms of investment attractiveness, and here the political position of Tatarstan also plays a role, "Khakimov said.
In addition, according to the expert, this agreement is a certain element of stability in the republic and the fact that the upcoming elections will be calm. “Many are following the situation in Tatarstan, there is some concern. The population is afraid that the president’s name will be removed later, then they will start“ crushing ”the republic - why do you need a republic. This moment exists,” he explained.
Khakimov believes that the chances of signing a new treaty are 50 to 50. "Well, of course, we are adherents of federalism, and the treaty is an element of federalism enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation," he stressed.
The name of the highest official of the republic, according to Khakimov, should remain the current one - the President of Tatarstan.
Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov previously noted that he sees nothing wrong with the existence of an agreement on the delimitation of jurisdictions and powers between the Russian Federation and Tatarstan. In his opinion, the agreement gives a good dynamics of development and increases the responsibility of the republic to the federal center.
In April of this year, delegates to the III Congress of the Peoples of Tatarstan also expressed their conviction in the positive role of the treaty, which contributed to the strengthening of friendship and interaction between peoples, the socio-economic and socio-political development of Tatarstan and the country as a whole. In connection with the expiration of the term of the agreement, the delegates in their resolution proposed to instruct the state authorities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan to work out forms of settling emerging issues related to the delineation of powers between the federal center and Tatarstan.
