MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. The global trend towards canceling Russian culture is likely to continue for the time being, Russian musician and conductor Vladimir Spivakov told TASS.

"[The trend] is not over yet. I’m afraid that its momentum will keep it going for a while," he said, when asked if the trend towards canceling Russian culture was over and whether cultural exchanges had resumed.

In this regard, Spivakov pointed out that he had been dismissed as artistic director of the International Colmar Music Festival in France, which he had been leading since 1989. "The festival I led for 32 years was taken from me, even though I am an officer of the order of the Legion of Honor and an honorary citizen of the city who turned the Colmar festival into a global event everyone would flock to," he stressed.

"The official response was 'it’s because of the ethnic background.' Can you imagine that?" Spivakov added.

Under Spivakov, the Colmar festival turned into the city’s international trademark. Since its founding, over 700 musicians have performed more than 1,500 pieces of music at the festival.