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Popular Diplomacy forum opens in Moscow

The forum is expected to be attended by more than 500 delegates from 100 world nations, including state officials, lawmakers, people of culture, Russian language specialists and journalists

© Valery Sharifulin/ITAR-TASS

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MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. A forum on the role of popular diplomacy in the development of international humanitarian cooperation dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Russian society of cultural ties with foreign countries opens in Moscow on Thursday.

According to a spokesman for the Russian Federal Agency for the Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), the forum is expected to be attended by more than 500 delegates from 100 world nations, including representatives from friendship societies, state officials, lawmakers, people of culture, Russian language specialists and journalists.

"It is planned to discuss the role of popular diplomacy in the development of international humanitarian cooperation," the spokesman said.

The forum will be addressed by speaker of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house Valentina Matviyenko, Russian president’s special envoy for international humanitarian cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoi and a number of other Russian politicians and public figures.

Set up in 1925, Russian society of cultural ties with foreign countries opens, later reorganized as the Union of Soviet Friendship Societies with Foreign Countries to ultimately evolve into Rossotrudnichestvo, has been tasked to form a circle of friends of Russia abroad. Ever since, this organization has been promoting international humanitarian cooperation and providing unbiased information about Russia, its rich history and cultural heritage, economic and spiritual potential.

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