MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. The number of people interested in studying the Russian language is growing across the world, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in a statement on Russian Language Day.

"Please accept my warmest greetings on Russian Language Day," he said, addressing the Russian people. "It brings together our compatriots in Russia and beyond. Russian is one of the richest languages in the world, it is the language of a great culture, diplomacy, international and inter-ethnic communication. The number of those interested in studying Russian increases across the world every year as people wish to read Chekhov, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in the original and learn more about our country, its history and traditions," the prime minister pointed out.

Russian Language Day, established by the United Nations in 2010, is celebrated on June 6, which marks the birthday of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837).