X World Congress of Russian Press

Jubilee X World Congress of Russian Press met in Russia on 10-15 June 2008.

At this time the forum of Russian foreign press was held in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan. It was the most ambitious forum in the history of the World Association of Russian Press (WARP) bringing together more than 1,000 participants and guests from 65 countries, and unprecedented number of foreign players in the history of post-Soviet Russia.

X World Congress of Russian Press in Moscow set a record in the number of countries represented at it, covering all inhabited continents of the Earth, which was a clear confirmation of globality of the Russian information space and the scale of the impact of WARP, uniting Russian media from around the world in a very freeform.

Such a broad representation of Russian foreign media on the forum was a good opportunity to discuss the place of Russian foreign press and the role of the Russian language in the development of the global information civilization, to analyze in detail the experience and problems of Russian media abroad and to determine their development in conditions of information globalization.

The President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev spoke at the opening ceremony. The President said that the Russian compatriots abroad play a unique role in the dialogue between cultures and peoples, and the value of WARP in this regard will only increase in the future.

At the reception for the participants and guests of the X World Congress of Russian press Prime Minister Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to support the Russian-language press, "respecting its right to autonomy and independence".

Taking part in the Congress, UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said from the rostrum: "UNESCO stands ready to cooperate with the WARP to further advance its efforts in expanding the Russian-speaking space and capacity of media opportunities." According to him, the topics discussed in the WARP, closely intertwined with the objectives of UNESCO.

One of the highlights of the forum was the documentary exhibition "Russia we have retained", which presented unique exhibits of the Russian media with its history spanning for more than a century. According to the Russian president, they "visibly show that even in the most difficult times responsible and honest Russian journalism was with its people and with its Fatherland".

Organizational issues were also resolved during the congress. Vitaly Ignatenko was re-elected as the President of the WARP for the next five years.  Council of WARP and the Presidium of the Council of WARP would coordinate the work of the organisation. Representatives of 48 countries were elected into the Council, 15 of them were included in the Presidium of the Council.

Finishing the plenary meeting in Moscow, the participants were divided and continued to work in sections in St. Petersburg and Kazan.