Cultural Values Help Smooth out Disagreements between Russia and the US

Last Thursday a celebratory evening with the Deputy of Russian Minister of Culture Grigoriy Ivliev’s participation took place. Amongst the event guests there were the researchers and curators of the poet’s legacy, Russian cultural figures and representatives of the educational and business communities from both countries.

WASHINGTON, the 25^th of April – RIA Novosti, Maria Chaplyghina. Cultural heritage is meant to help Russia and the US to overcome the existing political disagreements, as noted by the participants of the recent evening, devoted to M. Y. Lermontov’s Bicentennial. The event took place in Washington, at the Library of Congress.

The evening happened last Thursday in the presence of the Deputy of the Russian Minister of Culture Grigoriy Ivliev’s. Amongst the event guests there were the researchers and curators of the poet’s legacy, Russian cultural figures and representatives of the educational and business communities from both countries.

“Nowadays we see that, just like many centuries ago, the humanity is preoccupied with fighting for different interests, and only values can be the one “medium”, which will unite people,” – said one of Russia’s ombudsmen, a descendant and name-sake of the poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, the head of the “Lermontov’s Legacy” Association.

“Today values can be the sense and the center of that same purpose of unity, which is manifested in works by Mikhail Lermontov, Fenimore Cooper and other writers, who would be bringing truth to their readers,” – said he.

According to Sergey Kislyak, the Russian Ambassador to the US, the evening became a “breath of fresh air” in the current complicated period in the Russian-American bilateral relations. “Regardless of the ups and downs, which both countries are going through in our relations… it is necessary to keep culture as the instrument of dialogue, instrument of enriching people’s hearts.” The Ambassador expressed his hope for the young Americans and Russians to learn and know more about cultures and traditions of each other, which then means they will be able to work and do more, other than the current generation of diplomats, for the development of bilateral relations.

“Not speaking the Russian language is not an obstacle to appreciation of Mikhail Lermontov’s words and thoughts,” – said in her turn Susan Lehrman, a member of the Board of Directors for the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation, which was the evening’s host. “I, just as many sitting here, am very true to the belief that the doors of cultural exchange between our two countries should remain open and the flow of such exchange should stay constant and strong,” – said the philanthropist, addressing the evening’s guests. According to her Lermontov is widely known in the US and the fact that the poet’s Bicentennial is celebrated in one of the most famous American libraries, the Library of Congress, speaks for itself.

The source: RIANOVOSTI