ST. PETERSBURG, November 17. /TASS/. The Western policy of ‘cultural cancellation’ of Russia is essentially racist and anti-cultural, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum - Forum of United Cultures.
"Lately, there have been attempts to cancel our culture in general," Putin recalled and added that "this is impossible by definition": the basis of Russian culture is "genuine freedom, mercy, humanism and spirituality."
"The policy of 'canceling Russia' is essentially anti-cultural, neocolonial and racist," Putin emphasized. "The truth is that these notorious 'cancellation attempts,' as well as anti-Russian sanctions, so-called, imposed by the authors of these ideas, went wrong from the very beginning."
As an example, Putin mentioned the "immense interest in the [International Tchaikovsky Music] Competition," whose audience exceeded 50 million. More than half of them are residents of Europe, Putin pointed out.
"We are convinced: the future belongs to the free development of cultures, diverse development, and the widest possible dialogue of communities in a multipolar world," Putin stressed.
"Despite all the bans and sanctions, art knows no borders. It has always been this way, especially in our time of rapid technological progress, which creates colossal opportunities and, of course, breeds new risks," he stated.
The 9th St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum - Forum of United Cultures - is being held on November 16 to 18. The event was organized by the Russian government, the Ministry of Culture, the authorities of St. Petersburg and the Hermitage Museum. TASS is the forum's general information partner, official operator of the press center and official photo host.