MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. This year’s International Cultural Forum in St. Petersburg has been canceled, the Russian Culture Ministry told reporters on Friday.
"Amid the current circumstances, the Russian Culture Ministry does not consider it appropriate to hold the forum and has to announce its cancellation," the Culture Ministry said.
Not only is the Forum a meeting place for professionals and a venue for sharing best practices, establishing creative and business contacts, but it has also transformed into a real celebration for the creative industry, as reflected by its extensive festival program, the press service added.
The Culture Ministry hopes that it will be possible to hold the Forum in 2023.
"We hope that Russian cultural figures, managers and experts, as well as their foreign counterparts, will be able to gather at the hospitable venue of the St. Petersburg Cultural Forum next year," the ministry said.
The St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum, organized by the Russian government, the Culture Ministry and St. Petersburg’s government, is widely recognized as a world-class event. It brings together thousands of cultural experts from all over the world every year. Among them are celebrated theater, opera and ballet figures, directors, musicians, public figures, government officials, business people, and members of the academic community. In 2020 and 2021, the Forum did not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, it was scheduled for November 10-12.