3d World Congress of Compatriots to be held in Moscow

The 3d World Congress of Compatriots who reside abroad will be held on December 1-2, 2009, in Moscow. It is expected to be attended by nearly 1000 people from 90 countries. The Congress will be opened on December 1 at the House of Unions Column Hall. Among those who are expected to come for the opening are His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov, Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, as well as Moscow Mayor Yu. Luzhkov and the Tatarstan President M. Shaymiev.

The forum will discuss major problems facing compatriots including preservation of the spiritual space of the Russian World and legal rights and interests of compatriots, further consolidation of their ties with the Motherland and promoting their voluntary resettlement in Russia.

On December 2, the Congress's section on the Russian Orthodox Church and Other Traditional Confessions in Consolidation of the United Spiritual Space of the Russian World will meet at the Danilovsky Hotel. The section will be cochaired by Rev. Philip Riabykh from the Church's side, Ambassador at Large A. Vdovin from the Foreign Ministry, and Prince A. Trubetskoy from the compatriots. The section is to adopt recommendations for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: DECR Communication Service