Culture Ministries of Russia and France to Sign an Agreement

The Culture Ministries of Russia and France plan to sign an interdepartmental agreement that will be unique for France, said Russia's Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi. According to the minister, the specific feature of the document lies in the fact that France's Foreign Ministry, not its Culture Ministry, is placed in charge of international cultural relations. The Russian Minister said that such an agreement would be signed for the first time in the history of France.

During the recent meeting between the ministers Mikhail Shvydkoi said that the two sides agreed "to draft and sign the document as soon as possible." Mr. Shvydkoi did not rule out the possibility of signing the agreement in late May.

The Russian Minister pointed to the need of working out such an agreement as bilateral cultural relations had expanded and said it was necessary to determine what should be funded in the first place.