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St Petersburg International Cultural Forum opening ceremony


Vladimir Putin opened the 6th St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.
November 17, 2017
20:30
St Petersburg


Opening ceremony of the St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.

The head of state made a welcoming speech at the forum’s opening ceremony.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Mr President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev,

I am pleased to welcome the participants and guests of the International Cultural Forum in Russia.

This is the sixth time cultural figures from many countries are meeting in St Petersburg to discuss with their colleagues problems of the arts and education and the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage, as well as to share their ideas and identify new avenues for developing cultural cooperation.

Your involvement, mutual trust and commitment to partnership show once again that culture is a universal language of communication and mutual understanding, and it has enormous potential for uniting people around noble humanistic goals.

Moreover, culture saves the most important, core values and standards and passes them on to future generations. It helps connect the past, present and the future, preserve the identity and uniqueness of every nation, and it also helps people navigate the rapidly changing global world.

Finally, culture, art and education are a response to the challenges of barbarity, intolerance and aggressive radicalism, which are threatening our civilization. This is a path toward overcoming dividing lines and barriers, as well as all sorts of prejudices that impede forward movement.

We highly appreciate the fact that the spirit and purpose of the St Petersburg Forum are very much in demand and that all together we have managed to create yet another venue for an open and equal dialogue, as well as for launching initiatives serving the mutual enrichment of cultures and therefore the harmonious development of the world as a whole.

One such project was presented today – the International Theatre Olympiad; our colleagues and I have just talked about this. It was decided to hold the Olympiad in Russia in 2019.

Our country already had the privilege of hosting this unique event in Moscow in 2001. It did its utmost to ensure that the event become unprecedented in terms of scale and significance. At that time about 5,000 actors from 40 countries participated in it while the number of spectators exceeded 1 million.

I have no doubt that the new show of theatrical achievements from all over the world will be just as successful. Especially given that its venue will be St Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the world, which is rightly regarded as our country’s cultural capital.

Invaluable monuments and some of the world’s largest museums, theatres and libraries are concentrated here; the names of great musicians, artists and writers, whose works have become part of world cultural heritage, are associated with it.

All of this, without any doubt, fosters a special creative atmosphere in St Petersburg. I am confident that the participants and guests of the International Cultural Forum could feel this to the fullest. Allow me to wish you every success and all the very best.

Thank you.


Meeting with Russian and foreign cultural figures


Vladimir Putin held an informal meeting with Russian and foreign cultural figures taking part in the St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.
November 17, 2017
20:00
St Petersburg




At an informal meeting with Russian and foreign cultural figures.

Earlier in the day, the President held a meeting on supporting talented young people in the arts and a meeting with the Mariinsky Theatre’s board of trustees.

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Speech at a meeting with Russian and foreign cultural figures

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: I would like to welcome you and thank you for your interest and attention to Russian art.

We are truly proud of our art and our professionals in the art world. But I would like to welcome you not just as guests of today's event, but also as outstanding figures of world culture. We are particularly glad that you come to us regularly and have joint projects with your colleagues that you not only generate but also carry out together with your colleagues in the Russian art world.

I probably do not need to say much about how important it is, how it unites people, how it helps us all to build the modern world, which should be based, above all, on humanistic principles. Who, if not you, can and must do this?

It is particularly gratifying that you do not confine yourselves to your national quarters. You work as citizens of the world in the fullest sense of the term. I want to thank you for this and, once again, to cordially welcome you to St Petersburg, which, without a doubt, is also an object of our pride.

Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the world. We rightfully call it the cultural capital of our country. It is so great that cultural figures from all over the world have gathered here for the sixth time in order to talk about how the modern world lives and breathes, to think together about what it should look like in the near future and what needs to be done together to achieve that.

Let me again thank you for your participation in today's event. Thank you very much!
Meeting on supporting talented youth in arts


Vladimir Putin held a meeting on identifying, supporting and training talented youth in the arts.
November 17, 2017
18:30
St Petersburg



Meeting on supporting talented youth in arts.

The meeting was held in the New Stage building of the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre.

Opening speech at the meeting on identifying, supporting and training talented youth in the arts

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends, colleagues.

Today, I suggest that we discuss ways to support young people. As you are aware, we have been paying much attention to this area in recent years across many different spheres, including research activities, creative projects and blue-collar professions. We are covering different areas.

Today, I would like to talk about things that are close to you, and discuss ways to support young talented people who are being trained or are taking their first steps in the arts. Of course, this is one of the most important areas.

Long-standing and rich traditions of creativity, great schools of theatre, art, ballet, and music are certainly part of our national heritage. Russia continues to hold strong, if not leading positions in this area. The state, cultural figures and the public should not just preserve these traditions, but build on them and ensure continuity.

This is a prerequisite for the harmonious, mature, and free development of our society and our entire country. Our competitiveness in culture and the arts will be just as important for our future, which is taking shape literally before our eyes, as in the spheres that I have just mentioned, primarily, the hard sciences, technology, and the like.

We are now forming an entire system aimed at identifying and discovering young talents. I have already mentioned these areas which include science, engineering, and blue-collar professions, and, of course, sports. We should focus on supporting them as they make their first steps in their careers, which are sometimes the most difficult. Our discussion today is also designed to elicit suggestions for innovative and more effective approaches.

It is obvious that working with talented and creative young people, especially in a sphere like culture, requires additional flexibility and unusual approaches, as well as doing away with standardised templates, mechanical uniformity and other such things. We should not narrow the training of creative professionals down to simple “educational services.”

I have heard people criticise this phrase many times. You know, it is impossible to get away from it completely, I understand this, but I also understand that this is something bigger than just a service. By the way, our colleagues in healthcare say the same thing.

According to expert assessments, we have accumulated a whole host of problems, which must be solved to preserve the high level of training in the arts. The most important of them is the so-called sectoral approach we have now, which means categorising culture as part of the social sphere only, which has been the traditional approach.

According to many of your colleagues, its norms and rules, including financing methods, target indicators and current tender and accounting systems have become something like a Procrustean bed for culture.

Perhaps this view is debatable, but we can partly agree with it, of course, it is not groundless.

Let us spend some time on this issue, as well as other aspects, and I am ready to talk about them. Let us discuss what measures are necessary to create the most favourable approach to developing culture in general and education in this area in particular.

I would also like to discuss the issue of financial support for professional training in creative fields. Let me note that the initiative of the participants of the Tavrida National Youth Forum has already been implemented. They proposed, if you remember – maybe some took notice – to give talented people an opportunity to receive a second degree in culture and the arts free of charge. Today it is prohibited by law.

There are 20 additional grants for that, which will be provided each year on a competitive basis. The application for them has already been reviewed at the Presidential Grants Foundation.

I would like to stress that these grants will be added to the money, big money in fact, that the foundation already allocates for projects in culture and the arts. Non-profit organisations have received 621 million rubles for this this year alone.

Let us also discuss which measures we should take to increase the quality of training creative professionals and to create the necessary conditions to form the next generation worthy of Russian art.

Who would like to begin?

<…>

Vladimir Putin: I am not going to make a closing speech now, but I would like to reassure you that we will try to summarise all that has been said and we will respond to it as soon as possible.

These open [procurement] tenders that Mr Zaslavsky and many colleagues have mentioned, they are not necessary for everything aside from general everyday items such as paper clips, curtains and chairs, which can be purchased at open tenders, and this should be done.

But the rest, everything related to creative activities, does not fit into this Procrustean bed as I have mentioned, and it is not possible to fit it there. Therefore, amendments certainly need to be made.

As regards the arts and culture in the education system being assigned to some department, I think you are right to a large extent. Once more, I do not wish to try and solve these issues on the spot. But we will work towards this.

Lastly, Mr Matsuyev began and Mr Bashmet finished speaking about discovering and training talented young people. This all depends on funding. We have already discussed this with our colleagues, and I propose adding a new element to the presidential grants system –support for talented young people to help them take their first steps without thinking about money.

Denis Matsuyev said his grandmother had to sell her apartment. So we must make sure young people have opportunities, because not everyone has parents who can do such things and grandmothers who can sell something. And there are talented young people – musicians, actors, authors – and we must provide assistance to them.

This is the first part. And the second part of this grant should go to discovering talented young people. We will make this addition to presidential grants an annual thing; it will amount to one billion rubles.

Thank you very much!
Meeting with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev


Vladimir Putin met with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev, who has arrived in Russia to take part in events of the St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.
November 17, 2017
15:30
The Kremlin, Moscow



Meeting with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev.

The two leaders discussed the results of long-standing bilateral cooperation in the interests of strengthening the entire range of Russian-Kyrgyz relations.

Mr Atambayev is leaving office. The inauguration of the new President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who won the presidential election in October 2017, will take place on November 24 in Bishkek.

* * *

Beginning of the meeting with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Atambayev, I am happy to see you, this time in St Petersburg.

I remember that your first foreign visit as the President of Kyrgyzstan back in 2012 was to Russia. Now you are completing your time in office and one of your final foreign trips as President is also to Russia. It is only a coincidence but…

President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev: But it is symbolic.

Vladimir Putin: I am pleased to note that during your presidency the quality of Russia−Kyrgyzstan relations has significantly changed.

The Kyrgyz Republic became a member of our economic union. There has been progress in our cooperation in the economy, security, including strengthening of the external borders, and culture.

I am particularly glad that you accepted the invitation and arrived for this cultural forum. You will see that it is a major and very interesting international event that is taking place for the sixth time in Russia, in its cultural capital, St Petersburg, which is for a reason. Outstanding Russian people of culture as well as our friends and guests from other countries will attend.

I know you have many ideas about reinforcing and building up the results that our peoples have achieved together over the previous decades and, perhaps, even over centuries. Your initiative in this respect is inspiring and we have supported and will support it further.

I believe it is very important to emphasise the long history of our relations. We have already spoken about this. The first major event already took place in Kyrgyzstan. We are ready to offer Russian venues for future events as well, so I will be glad to discuss the entire scope of our relations.

Welcome.

Almazbek Atambayev: Thank you, Mr Putin.

You were right to note, and I have noticed this as well, that it is symbolic that Russia is the destination of my first and last foreign visits as President of Kyrgyzstan.

I now recall that in the early days of my Presidency people mocked me for saying that Russia is our ancestral home. As you know, this year we hosted the Altai Forum, bringing together academics from about 30 countries.

Next year, there will be another event, the International Altai Congress. It was held in many places, except Altai. But this time we persuaded them to hold it in our country.

This forum is dominated by Western researchers. Of course, we need to be mindful of our history, because people who forget the path they took in the past will not be able to find their way into the future.

I am very happy to be able to meet you. I would very much like Kyrgyzstan and Russia to maintain their relations in their current state forever, for centuries, since as you know there were attempts to destroy, dismantle these ties and take them along a different path.

The last six years were very challenging for me in this regard. Of course, I would very much like these brotherly relations that we have restored to become only stronger. In this respect, I believe that today’s meeting can be very effective. And in general, I am very happy to see you again.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Almazbek Atambayev: It is a great pleasure to see Leningrad. Regarding the cultural forum, let me tell you that I am a fan of the singer-songwriter genre. Last year, may I remind you, it was Bob Dylan who took the Nobel prize in literature.

He is a singer-songwriter, but we know that the best representatives of this genre have always been in Russia. I believe that there should be a place for this kind of music at the cultural forum. Maybe one of the next Nobel prize winners will be from Russia…

Vladimir Putin: We will think about that.


Dmitry Medvedev’s meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
17 November 2017 13:20 Gorki, Moscow Region


Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come to Moscow for the first WHO Global Ministerial Conference titled Ending Tuberculosis in the Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Response.

Excerpts from the transcript:





Meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Dmitry Medvedev: This is your first visit to Russia in the capacity of WHO Director-General. Yesterday you attended the first WHO Global Ministerial Conference on ending TB. President of Russia Vladimir Putin delivered his remarks there.

We support your position on strengthening the influence of the World Health Organisation for protecting health and fighting epidemics as well as other global challenges in healthcare.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (via interpreter): The conference is a huge success. Its attendance has increased from some 40 ministers in the past to over 80 ministers now.

You are doing a good job trying to end TB. The progress achieved in Russia over the past few years could also benefit others too who can learn from your experience. Moscow is the right place for this conference.

Today we will adopt a declaration, which will become the fundamental document at the UN General Assembly in September 2018. I believe that you will continue to be a leader in this sphere.

We appreciate your leading role in the fight against this disease. I am grateful to Minister [Veronika] Skvortsova for her contribution to end TB and in other spheres as well. She has worked very fruitfully also within the framework of the General Assembly.