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Putin to meet with Youth Festival participants in Sochi — spokesman

Russian president may deliver a speech and talk to participants on the opening day of the festival

SOCHI, October 10. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with participants of the Youth Festival in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi and attend some of its events, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

According to Peskov, the Russian president may deliver a speech and talk to participants on the opening day of the festival.

"It will be a live conversation without any particular agenda. The participants are mostly foreigners, it will be a free conversation," the spokesman said, giving no exact timeframe of the talk.

During the following days, "the president will communicate with the participants of the festival in various formats," he added.

"We expect that on the dates close to the Valdai Forum, Putin will also have a conversation with the participants of the World Festival of Youth and Students in various formats," the spokesman said.

"On Saturday, October 21, he will take part in several workshops to discuss various issues within the festival’s framework, and so he will again meet with participants of the festival. He will also attend the festival’s closing ceremony," Peskov said.

Russia is set to host the World Festival of Youth and Students on October 14-22. An international student carnival parade will be held in Moscow on the opening day of the festival. Further events will take place in the Olympic Park of the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on October 15-22

The forum is expected to be attended by more than 20,000 young people from over 180 countries, including representatives of non-government organizations, lecturers and politicians. Participants will be offered to visit a number of Russian cities and take part in regional programs.

TASS is the event’s main information partner and official photohost agency.

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