MOSCOW, July 30 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has decreed to rotate the managing board of the Russky Mir (Russian World) Foundation, a government-sponsored institution set up to promote the study of the Russian language worldwide, the Kremlin press service reported on Friday.
Under the presidential decree, the foundation’s executive director president Vyacheslav Nikonov, who is president of the Polity Foundation, deputy director of the general secretariat department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pavel Prokofyev, and head of the department of presidential speechwriters Anatoly Sharkov stay on the board.
New board members include culture department director of the administration of the government Denis Molchanov, director of the international cooperation department of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science Vladislav Nichkov, head of the presidential department for interregional and cultural relations with foreign countries Sergei Vinokurov, and members of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house Vladimir Medinsky.
The Russky Mir Foundation was established by the decree of the then Russian President Vladimir Putin of June 21, 2007. The foundation has opened 75 centres in foreign countries. These centres promote the study of the Russian language and culture, offer access to Russian-language resources to Russian speakers residing abroad. In May 2011, the foundation opened six such centres in China.