President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,
Today, we are holding an expanded
meeting to discuss quite a few important issues. It looks like we are going, at least I hope so, to have a fulfilling and, I am convinced, productive discussion
considering that the Council has many new members and represents almost all
areas of the country’s cultural life. I am pleased to welcome aboard our new
colleagues. I count on your active and meaningful involvement in addressing the tasks facing the Council.
Today marks Cultural Worker’s Day. My best wishes to you and everyone working in this field and thank you for your
dedication. Cultural workers are a group of people that goes beyond famous A-list
stars to include tens of thousands of employees of libraries and art centres,
museums, theatres and rural clubs, children’s art schools and specialised
universities, and everyone who preserve, develop, and pass on invaluable
knowledge about our country’s history and traditions.
Whether it is much or little, but I will venture to say that something has indeed been done in the sphere of culture in recent years. In any event, the humanitarian component of the education process has been significantly expanded, our unparalleled domestic
artist and musician training system has seen more opportunities open up, and massive
grant support has been provided to support projects carried out by creative
people, including young people who are new to this field. Over 3,200 institutions
have been built or upgraded as part of the Culture national project. This work will continue under the more
recently launched Family national project.
At the same time, I would like the Government to pay attention to what our other long-term development programmes,
primarily the Infrastructure for Life national project, have to offer. Please
focus on the importance of creating an extensive cultural institution network when
drafting urban and rural development master plans and integrated territorial development
projects.
I suggest adding the cultural
institutions availability index for territories to the regional urban planning
design regulations, and to work out the possibility of introducing subsidised
lending mechanisms for investors that are willing to build or renovate cultural
and recreational venues.
Cultural infrastructure must have
enough cultural outlets and be meaningful in terms of content and be accessible
to everyone regardless of geographical location or income level. People should
have the opportunity to be part of the cultural scene – not just in the media,
online, or in specialised cultural outlets – from young age. The area where a person lives, the way the area looks and the way its infrastructure is developed,
including the condition of its cultural heritage sites, plays a crucial role in this regard.
Almost every Russian region, city or town, and our rural areas have buildings and neighbourhoods of historical,
architectural, or artistic value. All of them are more than memories of our
roots and traditions, or a source of national pride and inspiration. They are also
a resource to promote spiritual and economic development of the regions and the country as a whole. Suffice it to mention that the successful development of tourism, which means the development of small and medium-sized businesses and the creation of new jobs, rely on our efforts to revive our heritage.
To reiterate, culture directly
affects the way many social and economic issues, above all, education of the younger generations that will determine the future of Russia, are addressed.
We must do our best to help young
people carry through life and pass on to their children the love and respect
for the Fatherland, its heroes, history, and cultural heritage. I believe this
to be the most important mission of our Council and, more broadly, the state-society
partnership.
Let us move on to our agenda.
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