260 years ago, Catherine II, by her manifesto, invited foreigners to settle in Russia, which served as an impetus for the mass migration of Germans and other Europeans to our country. Twenty years later, another manifesto by Catherine II was issued, through which she incorporated the territories of Crimea, Kuban, and present-day Novorossiya into the Russian Empire. We discuss with Konstantin Matis, President of the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans and a member of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, why it is important today to continue making our country attractive for the return of compatriots, for attracting highly qualified foreign specialists, and how Russia is uniting the Russian world and its supporter-friends.
Konstantin Vladimirovich, on 12-13 December, Moscow will host the first Catherine Forum, which you position as an “invitation forum to Russia”. How appropriate is this at all, given the wave of Russophobia that has swept Europe?
Konstantin Matis: The Russophobia of politicians is one thing; the real situation for ordinary Europeans is another. Together with the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia, we decided to hold the forum not just “because of the anniversary”, but because we are convinced that Russia today is a wonderful place to live and work. There are a great many people in Europe for whom cultural and traditional moral values are not an empty sound. For whom it is important to live in a dynamically developing country, to have good working conditions, and at the same time to be able to raise children in an environment of traditional moral values. In a multi-confessional country distinguished by its civilisational approach.
With the new round of confrontation between the USA and the EU against Russia, the rejection of Russia’s moral values is being incited, while different values are being imposed within Europe itself. At the same time, there are many examples of people returning after unsuccessful emigration (especially from the national republics of the former USSR). Remaining culturally close, these people assimilate well in Russia. Potentially, a large number of foreigners who share our values are ready to move to Russia today.
So, in concept, is this a kind of small-scale VDNH for foreigners?
Konstantin Matis: On one hand, yes. One of the forum’s goals is to showcase the real stories of foreigners who have come to build a career or business in Russia in recent years and have succeeded. There are plenty of such examples. But the main reason we are gathering a huge number of experts and inviting representatives of the legislative and executive branches is to discuss the measures that need to be taken to increase the number of such success stories by an order of magnitude. At the same time, I emphasise, we are talking not only about Germans or Europeans, but about all foreigners. If you come to Russia from Cameroon, you must clearly understand how the state will help you adapt, solve the language problem, provide childcare, and address housing issues. On the other hand, you must accept the rules of good neighbourliness that have been developing here for millennia.
What role did the annexation of Crimea play 240 years ago, and how do you see the connection with the two manifestos today?
Konstantin Matis: In the historical past, Catherine II, through her supreme manifestos, laid an important foundation for Russia’s development—from territorial expansion and population growth to attracting specialists and technologies. Today we are observing a new turn of the historical spiral, confirmation that Russia is a country of opportunities, a guardian of traditional values, a “new ark” for all who share our vision of the future.
“Rossiyskaya Gazeta” Reference
The manifesto “Allowing all foreigners entering Russia to settle in different provinces of their choice, their rights and benefits” was signed by Empress Catherine II on 2 August 1763. The document guaranteed foreigners exemption from all taxes: for up to 30 years in rural areas and up to 5 years in urban areas. Within just the first three years, the number of migrants amounted to over 25,000 people.
By the Way
Guests from 35 countries will take part in the forum. Among them is a descendant of Catherine II’s lineage, the German journalist, President of Deutsche Lebensbrücke e.V. in Munich, and board member of the “Almanach de Gotha” in London, Prince Eduard von Anhalt, who is a distant relative of the King of the United Kingdom, Charles III.