Russian language festival opens in Azerbaijan

It is a new project of Moscow State Open University in the post-Soviet space to promote learning of the Russian language as a means of international intercourse.

The festival will be held in all the former Soviet republics, but Azerbaijan was chosen to begin it as it leads in achieving successes in maintaining and developing the Russian language and culture, university pro-rector Yevgeny Shcherbak told Itar-Tass.

Leading professors from Russian institutes, including the Pushkin Russian Language State Institute, were invited to the festival. Students and teachers of Baku schools and institutions of higher learning will be acquainted with new methods to teach the language, including innovation programmes.

The opening ceremony took place at Baku Slavic University on Saturday morning. The university is a big scientific and educational centre in the south Caucasian region for propagandising the Russian language and culture.

People who are fond of the Russian language and Russian culture came to attend the ceremony, and pro-rector of the university Asif Gadzhiyev noted this. He expressed the hope the festival events in Baku and Sumgait would be useful for everybody who learn the language.

Contacts in the educational area serve for the future of Azerbaijan and Russia, he believes. Itar-Tass