PRESS RELEASE

St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko met with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova on January 26.

On behalf of UNESCO an Honorary Diploma of the Madanjeet Singh Prize was handed over to St. Petersburg, bestowed on the city in November 2009 for a constructive contribution to the promotion of mutual respect and tolerance in a polycultural and polyethnic society and to the prevention and eradication of all forms of discrimination.

During the conversation, Matviyenko told about the experience of the realization of the Program for the harmonization of interethnic and intercultural relations, the prevention of manifestations of xenophobia and the strengthening of tolerance in 2006-2010, and noted that city officials intend to continue to work hard in this important humanitarian and cultural sector.

Bokova thanked the Russian side for the holding of World Philosophy Day and stressed that the city on the Neva is of particular interest to UNESCO as a world center of culture, science and education.

The conversation also touched on the prospects of St. Petersburg-UNESCO collaboration in educational and scientific fields and on questions of cooperation with the World Heritage Center.

During a working trip to Paris Matviyenko also took part in official Year of Russia in France activities and made a welcoming speech at the Russian-French Student Forum at UNESCO. At a press conference the Governor told about the activities of the St. Petersburg Business Information Center in Paris, created to provide advisory services to familiarize people with the city's innovation projects and business environment, and briefed on the upcoming International Book Fair in April with the participation of French publishers and translators. The preparation this year of a separate program dedicated to cooperation with the French sister city of Bordeaux was also announced.

The delegation of St. Petersburg handed over to the Russian Center of Science and Culture a gift of a documentary photo exhibition, and presented sets of educational materials relating to the Russian language, literature and history.

February 4, 2010