Dostoevsky will be remembered, Russophobes will be forgotten – deputy PM
The ongoing wave of Russophobia is bound to pass, taking its proponents along with it, Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Social Policy Tatyana Golikova said on Thursday.
The deputy PM made the remarks in an interview with TASS, coming ahead of the upcoming St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum, set to take place mid-November.
“I believe that, most likely, the names of those who today mention the names of our cultural figures in their Russophobic rhetoric will be forgotten,” Golikova stated.
Russian culture has always been a “huge part” of the world’s heritage and will remain so, she said. The country’s culture is a multilayered phenomenon, encompassing elements of different religions and ethnicities, the deputy minister added.
“As for our great cultural figures, our Tolstoy, our Dostoevsky, our Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov – they will sound as they have always sounded. The plays will be performed on European and American stages, and the music will be heard from Japan to Canada. So it was and so it will be, I am absolutely sure about that,” Golikova stated.
The upcoming forum may play an important role in mending cultural ties, Golikova suggested. The ultimate success of the event, however, is not dependent solely on the Russian side, she admitted.
“Naturally, how meaningful our panel discussions will be, how interested and prepared our colleagues will be for such a dialogue – a lot depends on this,” Golikova said.
Thus far, some 70 nations have confirmed their participation in the forum, the deputy PM revealed. These nations make up “a significant part of the world community, ready to talk about how culture should develop in the world, what traditions, what connections should be formed,” according to the culture official.
“Our Forum is called the forum of united cultures. The title itself says it all: we must discuss this issue as we see it,” she concluded.
