Border issues, regional aspirations and realism in the Russian Federation The aim of conducting their own foreign policy may exceed the capacity of many of Russia’s eighty-nine constituent units. THEME I: FEDERALISM AND FOREIGN POLICY BY ALEXEI S. AVTONOMOV

In the past, the term “foreign policy” Along the “frontier strip” Among these were the Tatarstan meant primarily war and peace and Republic (which is a major oil producer) The Russian Federation is an immense security of boundaries. In the industrial and the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic (an and, in many regions, sparsely-populated epoch, customs regulations, promotion important producer of diamonds) which country. The majority of the population of national merchants and trade abroad both proclaimed their own jurisdiction lives in the smaller European part of the were added to the foreign policy sphere. and interests abroad. national territory. The bigger territory to From those perspectives foreign policy the east of the Urals is less populated. Neither the Russian Federation nor the did not involve constituent units of a international community recognized the federal country directly. More than one third of all of Russia’s full international legal capacity of constituent units are situated along the Today, however, especially in the rapidly Russian constituent units. Meanwhile, land boundaries of the Russian changing international system, a “real life” showed that the perspectives Federation. If we add to them country’s foreign policy involves much of development or even survival of any constituent units that are attached to the more than this. Along with national and of these regions without cooperation Russian sea and ocean boundaries, we collective security and international within the Russian Federation were not can easily see that the majority of trade, it covers such matters as foreign bright. By the end of the 1990s it constituent units are within the “frontier investment, living conditions, became clear enough that for most strip” of the Russian Federation and are humanitarian cooperation, the constituent units, attempts to have a naturally interested in the adequate environment, energy, communication, separate foreign policy were more regulation of boundary economic transportation, etc. There has been a burdensome than beneficial. On the activities and trans-boundary diversification of objectives and the other hand it was (and it is) clear that cooperation. geographical framework for policy- constituent units in the contemporary determining factors has broadened from With some of the former Soviet situation had (and have) their own national and bilateral to regional and Republics (for instance, Belarus or interests in transnational cooperation. worldwide. Kazakhstan) the Russian frontier is more So, the problem is how to harmonize virtual than real, and a long history of national and regional interests in the Local, national and international public relationships ties some Russian conduct of foreign policy and how to policy interpenetrate one another, Federation constituent units with the take into account regional interests in reflecting structural changes such as the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, the course of conducting foreign policy internationalization of various fields of the Ukraine and Belarus. without prejudice to the national activity and technological change. interest. Economic conditions, especially in crisis Some ethnic groups living in the Russian periods have a great impact on the Federation are close ethnically and A role of federal bodies degree to which foreign and domestic culturally to those living in the policy-making become intertwined. neighbouring countries. All these factors According to the 1993 Russian These days no country can be immune stimulate Russian Federation constituent Constitution, the Russian Federation is to global economic events. Indeed by units’ interest to become involved in vested with all powers in the fields of the 1990s, world economic crises had shaping Russian foreign policy. foreign policy and international reached a genuinely global scale. During relations, international treaties, as well the crisis of 1997-1999 almost all Seeking more control as foreign economic relations. The Russian Federation Government insists countries were affected, while earlier the At the beginning of the 1990s, in the that foreign policy is exclusively within Soviet Union and other socialist process of disintegration of the Soviet the powers of the federal bodies. countries would have been somewhat Union, some constituent units of the However, it recognizes a certain role for insulated from worldwide developments Russian Federation claimed their right to constituent units authorities in of the market economy. full independence or at least a special transnational activities. status within the Russian Federation.

Federations Special Triple Issue: Themes of the International Conference on Federalism 2002 15 The Russian Federation has mechanisms as a member of the Federation Council. There are a lot of contacts between the for involving representatives of The Law provided for a transitional authorities of constituent units of the constituent units in the federal governing period till the end of 2001, when the Russian Federation and the authorities bodies’ decision-making process dealing heads of constituent units’ executive and of territorial units of foreign (federal and with certain foreign policy. For example, legislative bodies would be substituted unitary) States. One of the forms of the Federation Council (the upper house by their appointed representatives. Now transnational activities is an exchange of of the central government, consisting of (since January 1, 2002) all the members delegations, composed of high representatives of the constituent units) of the Federation Council are executive officials or regional legislators. has the jurisdiction to approve (or not representatives of regional executive and In many cases treaties and agreements approve) decrees of the Russian legislative bodies. on economic and cultural cooperation President on the introduction of martial are signed as a result of those visits. In any event, despite a change in the law, and has the right to decide on procedure for selecting members of the Unfortunately, there are no reliable deploying the armed forces of Russia Federation Council, the main principle statistics dealing with these activities. outside the territory of the Russian that the Federation Council is composed But, in general, hundreds of such visits Federation. As well, the Federation of representatives of constituent unit take place every year. Council approves or rejects laws authorities has been preserved. The adopted by the State Duma (the other Of course, those constituent units that Russian Federation is comprised of 89 house of the Russian Parliament – the are stronger economically have more constituent units: 21 republics, 6 Federal Assembly). According to the possibilities and are more active in provinces, 49 regions, 2 federal cities, Constitutional provisions, if the transnational activities. On the one hand 1 autonomous region and 10 Federation Council does reach a decision they have more resources for the autonomous districts, and each dealing with this or that law within a development of such activities. On the constituent unit has two representatives period of 14 days, the law is considered other hand, they have a greater need to in the Federation Council. to be approved by the Federation develop relations abroad. Constituent Council. At the end of 1999 a new institution with units situated along the frontier strip are a consultative status was created by the developing trans-boundary cooperation However, the Federation Council must decree of the Russian President. It is the with territorial units of foreign countries, examine laws dealing with certain State Council, which consists of all heads attached to the same border on the matters. Among these are ratification or of administration of constituent units. other side. rejection of international treaties of the The Chair of the State Council is the Russian Federation, laws concerning the Some constituent units of the Russian President of the Russian Federation, who status and protection of the border of Federation even have agreements on convokes this body from time to time to the Russian Federation, war and peace, economic and cultural cooperation with discuss the most important issues of currency, credit, and customs regulation. certain countries. Those constituent politics (these are predominantly The Russian President, in accordance units, whose transnational activities are domestic, but theoretically foreign policy with the Constitution, appoints and very intensive, have representation issues might be examined by the State dismisses diplomatic representatives of offices abroad. Council as well). the Russian Federation in foreign states As the experience of the previous ten and international organizations only after In May 2002 a Union of Legislators was years has shown, despite the consultations with appropriate set up. It consists of all speakers of ambiguous declarations of certain committees and commissions of the constituent units’ legislatures and is constituent units to the effect that they Federal Assembly (i.e. the Federation presided by the chairman of the wish to conduct their own foreign Council and the State Duma). So, the Federation Council. It was announced policy, all their transnational activities Federation Council has the constitutional that one of the aims of the Union is to are of an economic or cultural nature, responsibility to play an important role advise the Russian President on actual because their greatest interests lie in in some foreign policy decisions. issues of Russian Federation politics (it is promoting the economic development quite possible that foreign policy issues From 1996 to1999 the head of the of their regions. might be under its examination). executive branch of government and In addition to all the activities detailed speaker of the legislature of each Constituent units’ legitimate above, we should add that Russian constituent unit were ex officio members interests Federation constituent units take part in of the Federation Council. In 1999 a new the activities of the Council of Europe law on the formation of the Federation Along with participating in federal and are represented in the Congress of Council was adopted. foreign policy decisions through their representatives at the centre, constituent Regional and Local Authorities. According to the new law, each regional units of the Russian Federation conduct legislature and each regional executive their own transnational activity. body appointed its own representative

16 Federations Special Triple Issue: Themes of the International Conference on Federalism 2002