The first Russian World Assembly became the site, where participants discussed the most important issues of the Russian-speaking society abroad, the main lines of Russkiy Mir Foundation and of state authorities, concerning working with compatriots, were set there. For two days, the Intellectual Centre of the Moscow State University was the place, where compatriots, who arrived from very different countries all over the world, from different continents, had an opportunity to meet and communicate, share their problems and agree on cooperation. We keep recalling this first meeting full of sincere emotions, hopes and enthusiasm.
Its official opening heard lots of appropriate and right words. Chairman of Supervisory Board Lyudmila Verbitskaya, whose speech opened the Assembly, said the creation of Russkiy Mir Foundation was a dream of all the Russianists, which came true. Nevertheless, Russianists were not the only ones, who dreamt about the Foundation’s opening. Executive Director of the Foundation Vyacheslav Nikonov mentioned different aspects of the Foundation’s activities and underlined that applications could be send to the Foundation right away.
Russian World is self-awareness, in the first place. It is the people, who are a part of this world and who are connected with it through the image of past, present and future of people, nations, of the country. / From Executive Director of the Foundation Vyacheslav Nikonov’s speech
Ministers of foreign affairs Sergei Lavrov and of education and science Aleksandr Fursenko delivered their speeches at the Assembly – ministries of foreign affairs and of education and science are co-founders of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. Each minister shared his point of view on how to help our compatriots abroad and what kind of support may be rendered to the Russian language and Russian culture. Ministry of foreign affairs is aimed at promoting Russian interests abroad and ministry of education and science – at supporting reproduction of Russian culture and the Russkiy Mir Foundation combines these tasks.
Greetings of heads of religious confessions were also present at the first Russian World Assembly – Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexis II, the main rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, head of the Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of European Russia Ravil Gainutdin.
Special attention of all the participants was drawn to renewal of canonical communion of Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia. This important event in the newest history of the Russian Orthodoxy became a vivid symbol for the tendency of uniting different parts of Russian World. For over ten years of its life, the Foundation has been irrevocably demonstrating its gentle attention to religious aspects of the modern culture of Russia and the Russian abroad.
Certainly, lots of attention was paid to the modern state of Russian language and culture in the neigbouring countries and beyond. Speeches of delegates from Latvia and Ukraine – deputy of European Parliament from Latvia Tatiana Zhdanyuk and Head of Russian Media Centre in Ukraine Marina Vetrova – gave the participants an opportunity to understand the current situation of the Russian language and culture in different countries of the former Soviet Union. Questions of supporting the Russian language in Western Europe and America were also discussed.
