Address by the Chief Guest, Russian Ambassador, H.E. Mr Vyacheslav I.Trubnikov, at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Days of the Russian Language in DelhiНазад
Address by the Chief Guest, Russian Ambassador, H.E. Mr Vyacheslav I.Trubnikov, at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Days of the Russian Language in Delhi
The Russian Centre of Science & Culture
Distinguished scholars, experts in the Russian language and literature,
Ladies and gentlemen!
It is an honour and personal pleasure for me to join this elite gathering on the auspicious occasion marking the Days of the Russian Language in Delhi.
As you are aware, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has declared 2007 the Year of the Russian Language in the World - a decision which was also duly endorsed by the United Nations. The current year has already witnessed an array of conferences, workshops, round-tables on the Russian language organised in cities across India by the RCSC together with our Indian friends. In this regard it is worth noting the highly successful Days of the Russian Language in Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram and an Essay Competition arranged by the Institute of the Russian Language, RCSC, INDAPRYAL and several Indian universities.
The ambitious initiative to hold a major festival of the Russian language here in the capital of India has been taken jointly by RCSC, INDAPRYAL and the Centre for International Studies, Moscow State University. A quick look at the Programme of the Days reveals their truly remarkable scale - there is a Conference on Contemporary Issues of Teaching the Russian language in India, a Book Exhibition, a Workshop-cum-Seminar on Practical Aspects of Teaching Russian, as well as round tables, master classes, experts" discussions, etc. The magnitude of the event comes as no surprise when you consider the special nature of relations between our two countries.
Russian-Indian ties are characterised by common long-term interests, convergent ideas with regard to major global and regional issues, as well as firm belief in a multipolar world-order based on the fundamental principles of justice and equality. The recent years have witnessed an unprecedented intensity of bilateral contacts at various levels with meetings of the two countries" leaders becoming a regular feature. Russian-Indian strategic partnership received a major boost when President Vladimir Putin visited New Delhi in January this year as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations. As a result of the summit a number of important agreements were concluded including the decision to hold the Year of Russia in India in 2008 and the Year of India in Russia in 2009. Today we are looking forward to the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Moscow in mid-November this year which is sure to become a new important milestone in our bilateral ties.
The particularly warm contacts on people-to-people level, mutual affection and spiritual affinity have always played a vital part in Russian-Indian engagement. The people of our countries take keen interest in each other"s history, culture, traditions and, of course, languages. Language serves as a unique tool to understand the soul of another nation and excellent command of a foreign language makes one a real envoy of one"s own country. It is the knowledge of Russian that has allowed thousands of Indians to get acquainted with my country and its people, find new friends there, as well as relish the inspiring and captivating world of Russian literature, art and cinema.
I am confident that the event we are inaugurating today will make a significant contribution to the promotion of the Russian language in India and open up new vistas for scholars, teachers, experts and all those who are interested in Russian studies. I would like to wish the Days of the Russian Language in Delhi all-round success and thank most sincerely the organisers for their tremendous efforts.
