I don't like the "khan", I like the "president"

July 24 expires the contract on the delimitation of powers between the Federal Center and Tatarstan. A senior source in the President of Russia, at the end of June, answered the question of the Kommersant newspaper, whether the text of a new contract was agreed with the Kremlin, said that "there is no new agreement." Since then, no official statements about the fate of the contract have been made.

The question of the name of the head of the republic remains unresolved - the president’s post is preserved in Tatarstan, although in January last year, official uniformity should have developed in the cohort of regions: they were all obliged to exclude the word “president” from the name of their post. According to Kommersant, Russia is ready to maintain the post of President of Tatarstan until 2020, until the expiration of the term of powers of the current president Rustam Minnikhanov. It is reported that on July 12, the State Council of Tatarstan appealed to the President of Russia with a request to "support the preservation of the existing name of the senior official" of the republic.

It is very likely that the new agreement on the delimitation of powers between Russia and Tatarstan will still be concluded, says Rafael Khakimov, director of the Mardzhani Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan.

-We remember how in the 90s of the last century Boris Yeltsin invited the subjects of the Federation to take sovereignty, how much they would take away, and then the contract submitted the agreement to Tatarstan almost his own fiscal policy. In general, there was a feeling that such a state was being formed in the state. Now it expires the validity of a much more formal agreement concluded in 2007. Why doesn't the Kremlin want to renew it, in your opinion?

Rafael Khakimov

- Here the question is, probably, purely mental - everyone should be the same. But there are some features that require them to be regulated by the contract - related to the Tatars in Russia. There are a lot of Tatars in the country, not everyone lives in Tatarstan, the main part lives outside Tatarstan. There are questions related to the language, with the passport, with inter -budget relations. In 1994, there was generally incomprehensible situation where Russia goes, how all this will be, how it will turn out. Therefore, this agreement worked out its task well. And then federal laws appeared, a general legal field, somewhere good, somewhere with shortcomings.

All the same, so let everyone conclude contracts, this can be done according to the constitution

-And yet, as the fact that the contract, apparently, will not be extended, the political establishment of Tatarstan refers? Does he try to achieve at least some concessions from the Kremlin?

- I think the question has not yet been closed. In Moscow, they do not want this-this is one question, but it was also in the 90s, in the 2000s. Therefore, the process has not yet been completed, and say that there will be no contract, I would not dare.

- That is, do you think that even if the term of the current agreement expires, this will happen in the coming days, there will be negotiations on the conclusion of a new document?

“I think yes.” Of course, the conclusion of a new agreement with a new text is always more complicated. Claims will appear on both sides that it is necessary to include this, then exclude and so on. And this always lasts ... if according to the experience of past years, then three years are needed for this. But since such a right is in the Constitution of Russia, Tatarstan is likely to insist on negotiations and concluding a new contract.

-Between the expiration of the 1994 agreement and the conclusion of the contract in 2007 was some time?

- Yes, it was. Tatarstan said that he wanted to conclude another contract, of course, not so vast, not so voluminous. But here it must be understood that in 1994 there was chaos in Russia, and therefore the contract adjusted many issues, and moreover, some innovations, as lawyers say, were even included in federal legislation. In 2007, it was already more and more calm in this part, but nevertheless there were problems related to a number of characteristics of the republic, and they were objective, not politicians invented them. These features remain today, therefore, I think, in one way or another, the problems associated with them will need to be resolved - by agreement or federal law. And it will take quite a long time. But I think that Moscow should be accelerated, because the elections of Putin are still brewing.

We like the word "president", we do not like the word "khan", "rays"

- If we take the level of ordinary population, how negatively or indifferently it will react to the possible non -compliance of the new contract? And is it not a negative factor for the Kremlin on the eve of the elections?

-Firstly, there is a certain indifference in general in the Russian Federation, but to Tatarstan, as a “special” such territory, many are already used to it, the concept is already walking that Kazan is the third capital. And everyone understands that the Tatars live throughout Russia, 25 percent of them live in Tatarstan, no more. This moment exists. But at the same time there is a certain Russian mentality that everyone should be equal. But they are equal and equal - this is not the same thing. All the same, so let everyone conclude contracts, this can be done according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. We calculated that it was necessary to conclude an agreement, other subjects said that it was not necessary. And inside Tatarstan, I think, of course, everyone expects from the leadership of the republic that such an agreement will be concluded that everyone will agree, because we have good relations, the economy of the republic is a donor that gives good tax fees to Moscow. And actually, why not conclude if this does not harm anyone? And the Tatars, of course, are waiting for Russia, and not only in Russia, but also in Central Asia, that there will still be such an agreement. Because there is an article 14th of the Constitution of Tatarstan, which states that Tatarstan should help in the cultural development of all the Tatars of the world, and this is not the last moment. At least for the republic he feel. Because there is a certain pressure from the Tatars, we need schools, we need textbooks, the channel does not work well and so on.

- Among other constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Tatarstan is also distinguished by the fact that there, in fact, contrary to the federal law, the post of president of the republic. The other day, Kommersant wrote that Russia is ready to maintain the presidency until 2020, until the term of office of the current head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Why is it so important for Tatarstan to maintain this post of president? Indeed, according to the federal law, from January 1 last year, the subjects should have disappeared, at least, the name of the post - "President".

- Yes, but besides the federal law there is also a Constitution of Russia, which states that this is all under the jurisdiction of the republic. And if the federal law contradicts the Constitution of Russia, then it is necessary to bring either federal law or change the constitution into line. In this case, we thought that this is our right - why don't we leave the president, if we like it and this does not bother anyone. Who prevented it from? And of course, the Constitutional Court went beyond its authority when it made a decision of a political nature, and not a legal one. He must ensure that federal laws comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and this is not the first time this principle violates this principle. Say, as in Latin. We switched to Latin, but we stopped it, on what basis - it is unclear. Since this is our right, why not use this? We like the word "president", we do not like the word "khan", "rays" or some other. More acceptable - "President".

- Is it true that the president of Tatarstan should speak two languages - Russian and Tatar to occupy this post?

- Yes, this is necessarily under the contract. And in the 2007 agreement, we even made a register of those posts where everyone is obliged to know two languages, say, ministers - Minister of Education, Minister of Culture, and so on. The Minister of Economics is not so important. But the president is for sure, yes.

-And how much does this item protect Tatarstan from the fact that the Kremlin will impose some new candidate to him?

- Well, this is unlikely in fact, not even legally. He will come here - and he will not be able to work here, ”Rafael Khakimov is sure.