Abstract. The article deals with the conditions for harmonization of ethnic and religious interactions. The article considers the case of the relations between the two major religious groups (Christianity and Islam) and gives examples of harmonization of forms, means, and methods of communication between representatives of diff erent nations, ethnic and religious groups, including Orthodoxy. Contemporary religious dialogue is seen as a conscious set of mind and a kind of imperative that requires conceptual and institutional framework. The article examines factors that could mobilize Russian society to counter ethno-political radicalism and extremism, to prevent the emergence of nationalist sentiment among diff erent ethnic communities. Interdependence of cultures, civilizations and peoples requires their integration, aspiration to build a certain system of relations based on the principles of democracy, pluralism and tolerance. Integration at the same time is understood in a more liberal manner; it is interpreted as a dynamic two-way process, which requires ‘mutual adaptation of immigrants and residents of all states’; in fact, integration requires not only immigrants’ activity, but also society’s activity. Integration is a process of mutual transformation.