Department of State - 04.04.2002

 

 

Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Vershbow Addresses Russia, Tolerance

 

In the wake of the terrible events of September 11th, "it is all the more important for multiethnic societies such as Russia and the United States to step forward and show how peoples of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds can overcome the scourge of xenophobia," said Ambassador Alexander Vershbow in remarks April 4 in Moscow at the opening of the conference "Tolerance: United Efforts." 

Vershbow, the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, cited Chechnya as an example of "the tremendous cost of the failure to address ethnic divisions." 

"Our nations may differ on how to address this conflict, but we must be united by a common commitment to the rights, freedom and dignity of the individual human being," he said. 

Vershbow also noted the similarity of the principles enshrined in the American and Russian constitutions, and the commitment to equality and opportunity for all voiced repeatedly by President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

It was fitting, he said, that the conference was opening on the anniversary of the day in 1968 that American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee and in a hall named for Russian human rights champion Andrey Sakharov. 

Following is the text as prepared for delivery:

OPENING REMARKS AT THE CONFERENCE "TOLERANCE: UNITED EFFORTS" BY ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

It is a great honor to be here this morning to open with you this important discussion about bridging the divides of race, religion, and ethnicity that plague so much of our world. 

I can think of no better place to conduct this discussion than the center that bears the name of the great Russian defender of freedom, Andrey Sakharov, who so eloquently and tirelessly fought against tyranny and oppression. And I can think of no better day on which to open this discussion than today, April 4th - the anniversary of the day that the great American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Both Sakharov and King were Nobel Laureates. More importantly, both men were beacons of hope to the people of their time, and continue to symbolize for us the very greatest elements of the human spirit. It is entirely appropriate that we invoke their names as we begin this conference dedicated to enhancing human dignity. 

Both Russia and the United States are fundamentally multi-ethnic and multi-religious states. Over 200 years ago, the United States committed itself in its Declaration of Independence to the principle "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." 

Subsequently, we enshrined in our Constitution certain basic freedoms to which each citizen was entitled, and we have since continually sought to realize those ideals. It was less than ten years ago that Russians were called upon to enshrine in a basic governing document the principles by which they would govern themselves. Indeed, it was you in this room - with your mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and fellow Russians - who chose to assert, in Article 19 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, "the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen," and banned "all forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds." 

More recently, both President Putin and President Bush have repeatedly asserted their commitment in this fight, and the commitment of our respective nations to realizing the fullness of equality and opportunity for all, regardless of their race, color, or creed. In this, our countries have joined together in the fight against chauvinism and oppression, xenophobia and hate. 

In my country, people of African, European, Asian, Hispanic, and many other backgrounds have come together in one nation to call themselves Americans. In the Russian Federation, Tartars, Chukots, Ukrainians, Armenians, Jews, Dagestanis, and Russians have come to share a common Russian identity. In this respect, our two countries share the challenge of creating an environment where ethnic and religious differences are respected, and where individuals can excel regardless of their backgrounds. 

Yet both our nations know that while diversity is a strength, protecting diversity is not easy. America has long struggled to realize its motto: e pluribus unum - out of many, one. Many times we have stumbled and fallen in this struggle, but we continue. It is a goal to which we must continually strive, by fighting against prejudice and learning to speak not of "us" and "them", but of a "we" that stretches across racial and ethnic lines. 

This is perhaps most vividly exemplified by Martin Luther King, who during America's Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s continually asserted that he was fighting not just for the rights of African Americans but for all people, because when the rights of one person or group in our community are violated, we are all lesser people for it. We can never become complacent: we continue to struggle against racism and ethnic and religious hatred in the United States, and it remains the duty of all American citizens to advance the principles of tolerance in our own country. 

Some sixty years ago, the people of Russia faced down at a terrible cost the advance of a regime driven by Hitler's principles of hate and racial superiority. Yet the fight against hate and division is not over. Extremists in Moscow and other parts of Russia continue to sow hatred and division. This has created a climate of fear among people of color that does, indeed, diminish us all. Unfortunately old tensions have surfaced again in the last decade, between cultural and religious groups learning to live together in a free and pluralistic Russia, free of the shackles of totalitarianism. 

All this takes on new resonance in the wake of the terrible events of September 11th. In this new era, it is all the more important for multiethnic societies such as Russia and the United States to step forward and show how peoples of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds can overcome the scourge of xenophobia. The tremendous cost of the failure to address ethnic divisions is seen nowhere more starkly than in Chechnya, where conflict fueled by such divisions has destroyed entire communities and cost thousands of lives. It has also confronted the Russian people with the great challenge of preserving its most basic principles even in the face of grave concerns over national security and the integrity of the state. Our nations may differ on how to address this conflict, but we must be united by a common commitment to the rights, freedom and dignity of the individual human being. 

Martin Luther King said, "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools." You are gathered here because you share a commitment to our common struggle to learn to live together as human beings. You know that it will not be easy, nor will it be short term. But it is absolutely essential for the future of this country and, indeed, our entire world. 

I wish you every success over the course of this conference, and commend you in your continued work.