To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Government of Russia on the human rights of ethnic minorities. [112711]

We regularly raise the issue of racial discrimination with the Russian authorities who have acknowledged that racism and extremism is a problem in Russia. Most recently during our bilateral Human Rights talks in September 2002 and March 2003, which included discussion of the situation of Chechens and Meskhetian Turks.