A/HRC/7/19/Add.2 page 18 70. The main activities developed by the National Associations in the Ida Virumaa region include cultural festivals, Sunday schools to teach minority languages, history and traditions and the creation and maintenance of integration centres where all minorities can interact. 71. The Special Rapporteur noted with great satisfaction that the main objective of the roundtable with national minorities, as mentioned by the communities themselves, is the constant promotion of national cultures alongside the development of close links and increased interactions among the different communities. In particular, many representatives that attended the meeting referred explicitly to the respect for diversity as the unifying element that connects all minorities. The fact that such an initiative is taking place in a region where a very high proportion of non-Estonians inhabit illustrates how multiculturalism is the central response to the promotion of tolerance and respect among the different communities. V. ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR 72. After closely analyzing the statements of government officials and those of civil society organizations, representatives of minorities and victims of racism and discrimination, the Special Rapporteur reached the following conclusions. 73. The Special Rapporteur noted the existence of political will by State authorities to fight the expressions of racism and discrimination in Estonia. In particular, he considers his meeting with the Prime Minister as a sign of the Government’s strong commitment at its highest level to fight racism and discrimination. A number of relevant institutions showed a remarkable sensitivity to this cause, including the Chancellor of Justice, the Ministries of Social Affairs and Population Affairs. The Citizenship and Migration Board, within the limits of its mandate and the legislation, is also developing relevant actions to promote respect for diversity and multiculturalism. 74. The Special Rapporteur noted that Estonians have a core national identity that was crafted and refined throughout the years, as the people resisted to different foreign attempts to suppress their distinctiveness. However, Estonia, particularly through historical interactions with its neighbours, also developed a tradition of tolerance, multiculturalism and openness that still permeates Estonian society. Despite the existence of scars from the more recent historical experience of the Second World War, this tradition of tolerance and multiculturalism needs to be strengthened in the deployment of efforts to eradicate racism and discrimination. 75. The Special Rapporteur is particularly impressed by the experience of the Roundtable with National Minorities of the Ida Virumaa region. The members of the Roundtable demonstrate a profound understanding of intercommunity relations, making a deliberate – and appropriate – choice for a process of multicultural integration. In particular, the activities developed by those communities show how it is not only possible, but necessary, to combine the recognition and acceptance of specific identities for each community whilst promoting interactions between the different communities. The fact that this experience takes place in a region largely inhabited by the Russian-speaking community shows the potential of inter-community relations as a means to foster tolerance and understanding. 76. In what concerns the particular problems faced by ethnic minorities, the Special Rapporteur noted important differences of opinion and assessment between the government and