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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,

I am delighted to greet all participants in the Commonwealth of Independent States Heads of Government Council meeting.

The current meeting is dedicated to a truly important issue, specifically, to expanding cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. It is precisely the close-knit cultural connectivity and spiritual proximity of our nations, the extensive human contacts and the centuries-long shared history of our life in a single state that constitute a solid foundation for building upon intra-CIS integration processes.

I believe you will agree that we have inherited a truly unique civilisational blend of traditions and customs, languages and literature, art and folk culture. It is our task to preserve this common multi-national asset to the greatest possible extent and to enrich it with new content.

It is therefore quite natural that, during Russia’s CIS chairmanship, due to commence from January 1, we are planning to continue to expand the practice of holding a wide range of joint events dealing with the most diverse aspects of art, education, and science. For this purpose, we will also utilise the resources of the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund.

We will encourage the implementation of cinema and television projects and the organisation of classical and pop music competitions. I would like to recall that Russia has already submitted an entire range of corresponding initiatives, including the establishment of the Eurasian Academy of Film Arts and the Eurasian Film Award, and the reinstatement of the Intervision international song festival. We are counting on a positive response from our CIS partners.

Certainly, we aim to continue the closest possible interaction in the field of preserving the memory of our common past and combatting efforts to falsify history and glorify Nazism. The search movement has an important role to play in this work along with such landmark events in memory of the fallen in the Great Patriotic War as the Immortal Regiment, the St George Ribbon and the Memory Train, aimed at acquainting the citizens of our states, including the younger generation, with history and combat glory venues and battle sites.

Naturally, during its chairmanship, Russia will devote special attention to preserving the Russian language, our common asset. The Russian language has been facilitating inter-ethnic communications between hundreds of millions of people in our countries and all over the world, and it retains this status.

I recall that at the Bishkek summit on October 13, we signed the Treaty on the Establishment of an International Organisation for the Russian Language. This institution, which will be headquartered in Sochi, is intended to help ensure the protection and promotion of the Russian language as the key to mutual understanding and free communication both within the CIS and beyond. It is now important to resolve the practical issues of how the Organisation will function, to draft its founding documents, and prepare and hold the first ministerial conference.

Fitness and sport are an integral component of the notion of humanitarian cooperation. The Commonwealth is also doing a lot in this area: the CIS Games and other sports competitions are organised on a regular basis. In February, Kazan will host the innovative Games of the Future, combining classical and cyber sports, and in June, the BRICS Games. We expect athletes from the Commonwealth countries to take a most active part in them.

There is also an important event ahead, the World Youth Festival in Sochi in March 2024. This large-scale forum will bring together young people from all over the world, and representatives of more than 180 countries are expected to arrive.

Friends,

It is highly symbolic that your meeting is taking place at the VDNKh complex. I think you have already had a chance to visit the Russia International Exhibition and Forum.

This exhibition is of great interest, and it has already been visited by several million people – Moscow residents and numerous guests of the capital, who, by the way, also enjoy visiting the renovated national pavilions of the Commonwealth countries located at VDNKh. And in this way, visitors get an opportunity to learn about the traditions, culture, and modern life of the peoples in your countries. This helps us understand each other better, thus contributing to the further strengthening of the bonds of friendship between all CIS members.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my birthday greetings to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, who is present at the meeting, and to wish him good health and happiness.

I would like to ask you to convey my warmest greetings to the leaders of your countries, whom I expect to see very soon, in late December at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the traditional informal meeting of CIS leaders in St Petersburg.

And of course, I heartily greet you, colleagues and friends, on the occasion of the coming New Year. I wish you and your families and friends, citizens of your countries good health, happiness, well-being, peace, and prosperity.

Thank you for your attention.