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Russia bewildered over US reports on Rossotrudnichestvo activity in Washington

Russian Foreign Ministry: "U.S. authorities should dissociate themselves from the attempts to disparage the activity of the Russian Science and Culture Centre in Washington"
Photo ITAR-TASS/Marina Lystseva
Photo ITAR-TASS/Marina Lystseva

MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) - The U.S. authorities should dissociate themselves from the attempts to disparage the activity of the Russian Science and Culture Centre in Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday.

Russia expresses bewilderment over U.S. mass media reports on the activity of the Russian Federal Agency for the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) in Washington, the Foreign Ministry reported.

“These fabrications do not correspond to reality,” the ministry said.

“For many years the Russian Science and Culture Centre, which is a structural unit of the Federal Agency for the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, works to inform the American public about the life in modern Russia, its rich traditions and culture. The centre’s priority is to strengthen mutual understanding and expand contacts between the Russian and U.S. civil societies,” the ministry said.

“Since 2011 Rossotrudnichestvo has implemented a program of brief trips to Russia by young politicians, public, scientific and business circles. The program’s purpose is to develop and deepen public, business-line and scientific relations between the Russian Federation and foreign states; to contribute to giving an objective assessment to the events in the Russian society and social, political, economic, scientific, education and cultural reforms,” the ministry said.

“Over three years over 1,000 people from more than 50 world countries, including the United States, have visited Russia within the program. Young Americans have an opportunity to meet leading public and political figures, leaders of regions, representatives of non-governmental organizations, mass media, to contacts their colleagues and get information firsthand,” the ministry said.

“We believe that U.S. mass media reports and the American authorities’ actions are unfriendly and seek to hamper the development of international humanitarian cooperation,” the ministry said.

“We hope that in further comments the United States confirms the commitment to the joint efforts in this aspect,” the ministry added.