NEW DELHI, Aug 26Russia is increasingly confronted with attempts by Western countries to «cancel» its culture, such attempts can be called harassment, Russian First Deputy Minister of Culture Sergei Obryvalin said at a meeting of G20 culture ministers in Varanasi, India.
“We see all the desperate attempts to “cancel” Russian culture. Ban the tour of the Bolshoi Theater in London. For the first time in 40 years, close the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Cancel the concerts of maestro Valery Gergiev in Japan. how far can these attempts go. What next? A ban on the world's most performed music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov?» — said Obryvalin.
The First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation noted that such attempts were unsuccessful and the proof of this is the past June this year in Moscow and St. Petersburg International Tchaikovsky Competition.
“In June of this year, one of the main shows in the world of musical art, the International Tchaikovsky Competition, was successfully held in Moscow and St. Petersburg. About 1,000 applications from 41 countries, including the USA, Great Britain, France , Italy and South Korea. Broadcasts of the International Rachmaninov Competition last year were watched by over 6 million people from 71 countries. And these are just a few examples that show us that attempts to «cancel» culture are nothing more than another dirty game of politicians, «- Obryvalin emphasized.
He noted that Russia was and remains open to dialogue and international cooperation in all areas.
“We are interested in further fruitful non-discriminatory and equal cooperation with all foreign partners in the interests of the development of our peoples. In this regard, I would like to invite all participants of the meeting to visit Russia on November 16-18 to participate in the IX St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum. And in conclusion I note that those politicians who cancel and ban the culture of other countries deprive their own citizens of the future. Therefore, in Russia they will always listen to Bizet's music, read Homer and admire Van Gogh's paintings,» he said.
Western countries have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation because of Ukraine, in addition, an unprecedented level of Russophobia has been recorded in a number of foreign countries. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, acts of aggression against Russians and Russian-speaking citizens affect Russian students, athletes, cultural and artistic figures. Western Russophobia is nothing but racism, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called those who «cancel» Russian culture fools, and emphasized that those who do so deprive themselves of part of world culture.