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World Association of Russian Press Council conference ends in Baden-Baden

Within the framework of the conference a unique publishing project, Russian Secrets of Baden-Baden, was presented

BERLIN, November 6 (Itar-Tass) — The two-day conference of the Council of the World Association of Russian Press (VARP) ended its deliberations in the German city of Baden-Baden. The conference examined questions of preparing for the coming 14th World Congress of Russian press to be held in Italy in September 2012.

The Russian delegation was represented by President of the World Association of Russian Press and Itar-Tass Director-General Vitaly Ignatenko, editor-in-chief of the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper Vladislav Fronin, editor-in-chief of the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper Pavel Gusev and editor-in-chief of the Ogonyok magazine Viktor Loshak.

The present meeting place of the VARP Council was picked up not by chance. The history and the present life of the famous European resort city of Baden-Baden is inseparably linked with Russia and Russian culture, with the names of great Russian compatriots especially authors – Nokolai Gogol, Vasily Zhukovsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Ivan Turgenev.

Art director of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg Valery Gergiev enjoys great popularity in Baden-Baden from among present-day Russian men of art. Gergiev has been conducting for several years with his troupe here “Russian music seasons”, presenting opera and symphonic programmes. `

Winners of the 14th musical contest, named after P.I. Chaikovsky , participated in concert programmes of the symphonic orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre under the button of Gergiev in Baden-Baden this year, late in October.

The city of Baden-Baden and the Baden-Wurttemberg Federal State are now among locomotives of development of German-Russian cultural and economic relations.

Conference participants – Baden-Baden Mayor Wolfang Gerstner, Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov, president of the Karlsruhe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bernd Bechtold as well as Igor Rottman, a helping hand in implementing joint projects – stressed that the strong side of the development strategy of these relations is its regional aspect, which is corroborated by the experience of investment projects, linking the Krasnodar Territory and the Baden-Wurttemberg State, Baden-Baden and the city of Sochi, the place of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

The conference was also presented with the unique publishing project “Russian secrets of Baden-Baden”, revealing almost unknown, but wonderful chapters of “the most Russian city of Germany”.

Founded over a dozen years ago, VARP unites now a considerable part out of 3,000 printed and electronic mass media, issued in the Russian language in 80 countries.

One of the main VARP tasks is to popularize the Russian language which, according to the latest data, places third in the world in its circulation and is an official or a working language of most prestigious international organizations, including the UN, OSCE, IAEA, UNESCO, WHO as well as SCO and CSTO.

There are now over 300 million Russian-speaking people in the world, while 350 million people understand the Russian language.

“Other no less important VARP aims include consolidation of contacts with compatriots, working out approaches to an objective and broad coverage of events, taking place in Russia, as well as creation of a united world Russian-speaking space,” said President of the World Association of Russian Press and Itar-Tass Director-General Vitaly Ignatenko.

There was also a meeting between members of the Russian delegation and editors of leading German newspapers.