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US still interested in cultural exchanges with Moscow, says Putin’s envoy

The United States still wants to offer a large number of US citizens the opportunity to visit Russia for research and educational purposes, an envoy said

WASHINGTON, February 12. /TASS/. The United States still wants to offer a large number of US citizens the opportunity to visit Russia for research and educational purposes, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi told TASS following a Washington meeting with US State Department officials responsible for relations with Russia and Europe, as well as for legal issues.

According to Svydkoi, the parties discussed cultural cooperation, including museum exchanges. In his view, the US is still interested in cultural exchanges with Russia. "The Americans have expressed their interest in providing a large number of US citizens with the opportunity to visit Russia for research and educational purposes. We held a conversation on a wide range of issues concerning our cultural and educational cooperation," the Russian presidential envoy said.

"We have rather vast contacts as far as filmmaking and literature go. Clearly, it all happens at the commercial level, but it would be good to go back to joint intergovernmental projects," noted Shvydkoi, who served previously as Russia’s culture minister.

"We discussed a broad range of issues related to humanitarian cooperation. Apart from museum exchanges, there are a number of matters that require attention," he continued. According to Shvydkoi, Russia and the United States can cooperate "in preserving the cultural and historical heritage of Russian America," including facilities such as Fort Ross, a former Russian settlement and a fortress in California designated as a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Park.

"I also drew our American counterparts’ attention to the fact that 2020 will mark the 75th anniversary of the Victory and the United Nations. It would be worthwhile to arrange meetings between historians and other joint cultural activities," Shvydkoi added.