Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko welcomed participants via video.
The Federation Council hosted the opening ceremony for the Moscow stage of the fifth International Festival Marathon ‘From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.’
This year, Russia’s contribution to the cultural heritage and development of the Big Eurasia countries is the theme of the Festival Marathon.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko addressed the participants with a video greeting.
“The Festival Marathon is an example of interaction between cultures, dialogue between civilisations and building bridges of friendship, without which peaceful coexistence and cooperation on our continent is not possible,” Valentina Matvienko said.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council, President of the Russian Parliamentary European Club Konstantin Kosachev said the project continued to connect Russia and its European neighbours culturally.
The opening ceremony of the Moscow stage was moderated by Head of the Festival Marathon organising group, member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrei Klimov.
“Culture knows no borders and must not be limited by artificial barriers,” the parliament member noted.
According to Klimov, the programme has not changed despite the pandemic restrictions, although some events will be held online: a cultural programme is planned in all cities hosting the marathon.
The senator noted that this year the marathon includes Perm, Moscow, St Petersburg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, as well as Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Tel Aviv and Nur-Sultan.
At the ceremony, Mayor of Perm Alexei Dyomkin passed Moscow the baton symbolising the Festival Marathon. He expressed confidence that cultural exchange would further strengthen cooperation between countries and nations.
Chair of the Federation Council on Science, Education and Culture Lilia Gumerova noted that the ideas of the Festival Marathon – ideas of peace, friendship, kindness and the preservation of our unique cultural code – were close and clear to every person.
Taking part in the opening ceremony of the Moscow stage of the fifth Festival Marathon “From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean” were also State Duma Deputy Oleg Morozov, Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Yevgeny Primakov, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in the Russian Federation Petr Sich, Chair of the Russian Union of Journalists Vladimir Solovyov, Deputy CEO of Rossiya television channel Sergei Brilyov, Parlamentskaya Gazeta Editor-in-Chief Alexander Korennikov and representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and international organisations.
These festival events have been held since 2014 under the auspices of the Federation Council with support from UNESCO, the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Ministry of Culture and several Russian regions. They are organised by the Russian parliamentary ‘Eurasian Dialogue’ under the European Club.