Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has urged participants of the 6th Russkiy Mir (Russian World) Assembly to feel involvement in Russia and its culture. The Assembly opened in Moscow on November 3, bringing together about 1,000 Russian nationals from 80 countries.
The gathering, which coincided with festivities dedicated to Russian People’s Unity Day, specifically focuses on Russian language and Russian history.
Supporting the Russian language and preserving its international standing remains a key priority of the Russian government and Russian nationals abroad. “The Russian language is something that unites the multi-million Russkiy Mir,” Medvedev pointed out.
“An interest in studying the Russian language has been constantly growing even in those countries where it has lost its significance. Today the command of the Russian language, as well as other foreign languages, gives a considerable advantage when competing for an interesting job. The economy is forcing us to shed the imposed political stereotypes. It is no accident that Russian language courses are among the most popular programs at schools and universities in a whole array of countries,” Medvedev said.
The past few years have seen more efforts by the Russkiy Mir Foundation to further popularize the Russian language. In an interview with the Voice of Russia broadcast on Sunday, Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Russian President’s Special Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation, mentioned a spate of problems pertaining to the Russian language.
"The number of Russian native speakers worldwide has decreased by approximately 50 million people over the past fifteen years. This is an objective reality, related to very complicated geopolitical trends that we cannot but consider. Today we should realize that the Russian language is something that continues to contribute to communication between people living in the CIS, as well as Eastern and Central Europe. This is why the topics, which are being discussed during the Assembly, are of paramount importance," Shvydkoy said.
The current Assembly is being held against the backdrop of discussions concerning the preservation of the Russian language both in the CIS countries and Russia. Some experts say that Russia’s educational reform and the introduction of single state exam had a negative impact on the Russian language.
The Russian President’s aide Andrei Fursenko, for his part, said in a recent interview with the Voice of Russia that the Russian language is by no means losing its international clout.
"Any language is going through some changes," Fursneko said, referring to Britain and the United States, as an example. "First and foremost, we should do our best to prevent the Russian language from being simplified and preserve its uniqueness."
During the Assembly, participants, including Russian writer Valentin Osipov, warned against the falsification of history.
"The West has repeatedly distorted information about our history, which is why we should unite efforts of our international media outlets, publishing houses and news agencies to create a commission that would launch a relevant propaganda campaign. I’m irked, for example, with allegations about Western countries’ considerable contribution to WWII victory. The West seems to ignore the fact that the Second World War claimed the lives of millions of Russians."
It is worth recalling that 2012 was announced the Year of Russian History. In connection with this, participants of the Russky Mir Assembly said that people’s unbiased perception of history may add greatly to the future of Russia and the entire world.
/ Voice of Russia /
