INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE BEGINS IN ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 7, 2007 Wednesday 01:26 PM EST

International Year of the Russian language was officially launched
on Wednesday at the Russian-Armenian State Slavonic University.

"This event will give the start to a triumphant march of the Russian
language across the globe," the university’s President, Dr Armen
Darbinian said at a gala ceremony dedicated to the event.

He admitted that at the start of movements for independence many
people in former Soviet republics forgot the advantages that command
of Russian might give them.

"Emergence of the Slavic University here rectified the situation to
a big degree," Dr Darbinian said, adding that it is important to
restore Russian to its former positions in Armenia. "In the first
place, it’s Armenia and the Armenian people that need it."

"A growth of interest to studying Russian has been noticed here
recently," Nikolai Pavlov, Russia’s ambassador to Armenia said at the
ceremony. "This is only logical, since the Russian economy begins
acting more and more confidently as a locomotive force, attracting
other countries to a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation."

He also underlined the growing integration processes in the
Commonwealth of Independent State where Russian is a traditional
language of communications.

Pavlov handed a certificate of merit to Dr Darbinian, which Russia’s
Federal Agency for Education issued to him as a recognition of his
efforts under Russia’s federal program of support to integration
processes in the CIS in the field of education.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on
holding more than 900 special events in 97 countries as part of the
international year of the Russian language.