The senator noted that the competition is becoming increasingly popular each year among foreign students and graduate students.
Iliyas Umakhanov, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture and President of the Russian Committee of Solidarity and Cooperation with the Peoples of Asia and Africa (RCSCAA), presided over the award ceremony for the winners of the 5th Great Patriotic War Recitation Competition. This competition, titled Victory in the Hearts of Generations, focused on works by Soviet and Russian writers and poets dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and saw participation from students and graduate students from Asia and Africa.
Iliyas Umakhanov noted that the competition is organised by the RCSCAA and the Youth Section of the committee to foster interest among foreign students in learning the Russian language and to popularise works of Russian literature that celebrate the heroism of the people and preserve the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland.
“Year after year, the competition gains momentum and becomes increasingly attractive to foreign students and graduate students. This year, we received a record number of applications – over 600 – from undergraduate and graduate students from 76 countries in Africa and Asia, studying at 90 Russian universities from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad,” the senator said.
This year, the level of performance skills demonstrated by the contestants has noticeably increased, Iliyas Umakhanov emphasised.
Thirty-five participants from 21 countries emerged as winners of the current competition. The senator presented them with awards and also expressed gratitude to their teachers, who cultivate a love for the Russian language among foreign students. The winners and runners-up will enjoy a study trip to the hero city of Volgograd.
The award ceremony was also attended by First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security, Hero of Russia Viktor Bondarev, Secretary-General of the Russian Committee of Solidarity and Cooperation with the Peoples of Asia and Africa Natalya Khalturina, RCSCAA Youth Section Head, Chair of the competition’s organising committee Ekaterina Bolgova, Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Deputy Chair of the Association of Russian Diplomats Andrey Baklanov, war veteran Yury Andreyev, and Adviser to the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Russia Zaher Al Ahmar.