Valentina Matvienko: "Only cultural understanding can bridge ethnic divides"

The St Petersburg Cultural Forum was inaugurated in the solemn setting of the Alexandrinskiy theatre. Chairperson of the IPA CIS and the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matvienko noted that the Forum will discuss Russian cultural agenda and explore international humanitarian landscape.

She noted that culture is first and foremost an effective integrator, bringing people together and countering as it does political, economic, religious divides. She also said that we were living in an age when moral integrity stands out as the most valuable asset.

The St Petersburg Cultural Forum will be featuring in the northern capital on 7-9 December. It is a culmination of the Year of Culture in the Russian Federation and is expected to generate a plan of action that would mainstream the philosophy of culture in the modern world.

The Forum will be attended by the SecGen of the IPA CIS Council Alexey Sergeev.