MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Russia is not going to cancel world culture to retaliate against Western sanctions, Special Representative of the Russian President for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy said. For example, two concerts dedicated to Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls will be held at the Moscow Musical Theater in February, he told TASS in an interview.

"If the West cancels Russian culture, it does not mean that we will cancel world culture. And this decision is absolutely true and fits perfectly into Russia’s cultural tradition. <...> Especially considering that it [culture] was once born at the intersection of cultural relations between peoples living in one country," the envoy explained.

Shvydkoy also noted that what was happening to Russian culture in Latvia, other Baltic nations and many Western countries at the moment was nothing but "a matter of short-sightedness by local politicians." "It is short-sighted, because there is still a fairly large population in Latvia who are ethnic Russians or people who consider themselves part of Russian culture, and I think this is extremely short-sighted and counterproductive," he added.

On February 4 and 5, the Moscow Musical Theater will host concerts paying tribute to Pauls. The idea of holding such concerts belongs to Shvydkoy. He will be the host of the event. The audience will hear the composer’s most famous songs: ‘Million Scarlet Roses’, ‘Vernisage’, ‘Maestro’, ‘Old Clock’, ‘Yellow Leaves’, ‘It’s not Evening Yet’, and others.