The population of Russia numbers 143 million. The Russian Diaspora and the Russian expats worldwide number 30 million, including 10 million in countries outside the former Soviet Union. These figures emphasize the cultural and geopolitical importance of building ties between Russia and the Russians who are based abroad. Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s federal agency for post-Soviet affairs and diaspora ties, Mr Konstantin Kosachov spoke about this to the Upper House of the Russian Parliament Wednesday, Voice of Russia reports.
"My agency operates Russian culture and science centers in 74 countries. By January, the number is expected to rise to 83, and by 2018, to 104. I’m just back from the Middle East, where I accompanied President Putin on his mission to inaugurate a Russian culture and science centre in Bethlehem,” Kosachev noted. “The Palestinian Autonomy is home to tens of thousands of ethnic Russians and Russian expats. The Russian Centre should be of help to them and also to Russia, as it continues to seek a stronger geopolitical clout in their area.”
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Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service
