Стр. 4 - V

Author : K. Klimovsky
Deputy Director, Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Russian Federation
The World Congress of Compatriots Living
Abroad is being held once every three years under
the Russian federal law "On the State Policy of the
Russian Federation toward Compatriots Abroad,"
which was signed on May 24, 1999. The previous
meeting was held in St. Petersburg on October 26-
27, 2012.
The 2015 congress had a range of tasks on its
agenda. It was to make a comprehensive analysis
of work done by the Russian diaspora after the pre-
ceding forum, to arm ethnic Russian minorities with more effective ways of defending their
rights and lawful interests, and to assess their role and influence in their respective countries.
The congress was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic
War. The forum had the motto "We Remember with Pride" and paid a great attention to the
1945 victory.
Another important point about the congress was that it took place in a changed geopolitical sit-
uation, during the information and sanctions war unleashed against Russia by certain forces in
the West. "The anti-Russian hysteria that is being fanned across the world is having a serious ef-
fect on the Russian diaspora.
Many participants said on the sidelines of the congress that, although they lived far away from
Russia, they felt its support and care.
There were naturally many representatives of Russian-speaking communities abroad among the
speakers. Members of the coordination councils of Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, the United
States, Germany, and other countries shared their thoughts, experience, and plans.
The Fifth World Congress was held in a businesslike and very open, friendly atmosphere. It was
an opportunity for free discussions on all problems experienced by Russian speakers no matter
in what part of the globe they lived.
The forum has demonstrated the unity of the Russian World, support by ethnic Russians who
live abroad for Russia's foreign policy, the willingness of the Russian diaspora to continue to
work hard to preserve and promote the Russian language and protect Russian culture, and its
desire to maintain permanent contact with its historical homeland.
It seems to me that it would be appropriate to finish this article with a quotation from Ivan Ilyin,
an outstanding Russian philosopher, whose name was often mentioned during the congress. "My
Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Fifth World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad