Caretaker Minister of Culture, Judge Muhammad Wissam Al-Murtada, and Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, inaugurated today the activities of the 'Russian Culture Festival in Beirut' held at the National Library, organized by the 'Russian House' in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Culture.
Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Qatar, Ahmed Al-Obaidly, Actors Syndicate Dean Nehme Badawi, President of the National Conservatory, Dr. Heba Al-Qawas, and a number of prominent figures attended the inauguration.
In his delivered speech on the occasion, Al-Murtada expressed his pride to partake in honoring this great cultural heritage that marked our capital, Beirut, with Russian creativity in music, theater, cinema and thought, which began in the middle of the last century, and turned into a civilized and cultural harmony between the Lebanese and Russian peoples.
The Russian Cultural Center played a pioneering role in its consolidation and strengthening, and our patronage of this event is only to confirm the continuity and activation of this role between our two countries, he asserted.
Addressing the Russian Ambassador, Al-Murtada continued From your country, Your Excellency, emerged the most beautiful novels in literature and philosophy, and the sweetest classical music and sciences of all kinds, which soon turned into a world heritage that attracted people of science and culture, especially in medicine, where thousands of Lebanese doctors graduated...and that comes as no surprise in a country that worked on sciences of all kinds, nurtured its scholars and thinkers, and exported its knowledge not only in Eurasia, but in all countries of the globe, until the Russian language became one of the six languages in the world approved by the United Nations.
The Ministry of Culture in Lebanon is looking forward to close relations with your esteemed embassy in Beirut at a time when we are in dire need to convey the civilized image of a country steeped in history, with which we have close bonds of brotherhood and cultural exchange that we look forward to consolidating, because Russia, in our view, is the bosom that has highlighted for more than a hundred years the artistic and creative side of the Middle East, and sought to introduce it to the world through the Museum of Art of the Peoples of the East, whose holdings include unique pieces and works of art, including artifacts, paintings, statues and manuscripts from the Middle East and the Far East, Al-Murtada went on.
He concluded by welcoming the Russian Ambassador and the honorable guests to Lebanon's National Library, hoping to transform this event into a permanent program of activity that reflects the depth of what brings us together in a world that is in dire need of adopting the language of art, creativity, culture and the arts.
In turn, Ambassador Rudakov thanked the Culture Minister for his efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries, and thanked the attendees for showing interest in Russian culture.
We are working to develop cultural and humanitarian cooperation between our two countries, despite the complex situations we are going through, whether at the international or Lebanese level, Rudakov said.
Today, we look at Russia on the world stage, as it is an honest country that can be trusted and a defender of traditional values, he added, affirming that Russian policy aims to enhance the spirit of partnership and mutual trust in international relations.
Rudakov also pointed out that Russian artists greatly contribute to enhancing Russia's image as a democratic country that calls for a multipolar world, while preserving its cultural and civilizational diversity, adding that they are effectively creative in confronting the Rusaphobia that the West is spreading with attempts to culturally abolish Russia.
It is to note that the cultural festival opening included a concert by Opera Leonora and the Russian Song Theater Lyubava, in addition to popular and modern songs about Russia, and an exhibition of paintings by Lebanese and Russian artists.
Source National News Agency - Lebanon