XV World Congress of Russian Press

XV World Congress of Russian Press on 19-23 June 2013 was hosted by Belarus.

In addition to the editors and publishers of the Russian media, leaders of foreign news agencies of Europe and Asia have been invited to the Congress for the first time.

Belarus has two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. Cherishing their national cultural traditions and language almost all of the country's inhabitants are Russian-speaking readers, viewers and listeners.

The press - print and electronic – in Russian is very developed and plentiful in the country. Traditionally, significant part is occupied by the state media.

The grand opening and plenary sessions of the Congress were held in the National Library of the Republic of Belarus where the participants and guests of the forum discussed the new phenomena of the information of the world as the main topics of their discussions: world’s total virtualization and expansion of social media, how these processes determine the prospects of the existence of Russian-language media abroad. Of course, great attention was paid to the traditional issues: the role of the Russian foreign media in intercultural dialogue within the diaspora, cooperation of the compatriots with the communities.

Traditionally greetings were addressed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin to participants and guests of the World Congress of Russian Press.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko attended the forum and delivered a great speech.

Deep and symbolic was the second part of the XV World Congress of Russian Press. Paying tribute to all defenders of the common Motherland who fell in the Great Patriotic War, Russian-speaking journalists and publishers from 56 countries met the dawn on June 22 in Brest Fortress, along with thousands of their compatriots gathered within its walls from all over the once united large country.