Putin backs global Russian language center — ApsnyNews Russia & Former Soviet Union

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he fully backs the idea of creating a centralized organization to promote and support the use of the Russian language internationally.

The idea was proposed by Nikita Gusev, the warden of the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, during meeting of the State Council on language promotion.

“It is a good suggestion. I think it must certainly be considered,” Putin, who chaired the meeting, said.

The president added that he would instruct his administration and the Russian government to look into the project and provide support for it.

Putin said the authorities in Moscow are already working on promoting the Russian language abroad “through various channels,” but that these activities would further benefit from the creation of “a dedicated center.”

“We must work diligently to strengthen the position of the Russian language and to enhance Russia’s significance in the global cultural space,” the president told the participants of the video-conference.

The meeting took place on the eve of Russian Language Day, which is marked on June 6, the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, a 19th-century poet, novelist and playwright, considered the founder of modern Russian literature.

“One of the most effective ways to promote the Russian language and literature, both within our country and abroad, is through meaningful and wide-ranging celebrations of significant anniversaries linked to great Russian writers,” Putin stressed.

According to the Pushkin Institute, Russian was the ninth most-widely used language in the world in 2014, with over 255 million people speaking it.

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