TASS, November 10. The Hermitage museum plans to develop its network of satellite centers in Eastern countries, Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, said at a TASS press conference dedicated to the 9th St. Petersburg International "Forum of United Cultures," which will be held from November 16 to 18.

"The whole system of Hermitage satellites is a 'universe' - satellites go into orbit, change orbit with changing content. This system is functioning, we are seeing it working now. We launched satellites, and brought some down after a while. London went up - then came down, Amsterdam is now gone. We have strengthened satellites in Russia recently. We hold Hermitage Days all over the world now, in the countries of the South and this is the first step to check whether the country can host and wants to host the powerful presence of the Hermitage, the Russian museum, on its territory," Piotrovsky said.

He noted that the Hermitage is actively developing ties with China and Arab countries.

"I suppose we will sign a series of agreements with two museum territories - China and the Arabian Peninsula. These will be the first steps," the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum stated.

The system of the "Hermitage universe" has established several centers - satellites of the museum in Russia and abroad, including in the Netherlands and Italy. The satellite centers are not museum divisions, but the Hermitage actively participates in their development and exhibitions. Hermitage centers exist in Kazan, Vyborg, Omsk, Ekaterinburg, and Vladivostok. European Hermitage centers have suspended their work or announced the cutting of ties with the Russian museum.