WASHINGTON, June 11 (RIA Novosti, Arkady Orlov) - Russian diaspora in the U.S. is one of the largest outside Russia, but it is the most divided at the same time, stated member of the organizing committee of the Conference on preservation of the Russian language and culture in America Victoria Bonelli at the opening of the forum.
She said about 35 million Russian-speaking persons reside outside Russia at present. Anywhere from two to five million live in the United States, according to various estimates.
It is an impressive Diaspora and it is necessary to consider "the creation of a public association of the Russian compatriots living in America," the member of the organizing committee stated.
"We are part of the Russian world and it is up to us whether the Russian world will preserve its identity, its best traditions, its ties with historical roots and its language," Bonelli underlined.
Representatives of various organizations within the Russian diaspora from eight U.S. states and such cities as Washington, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and others, and delegations from Canada, Russia and Germany, including the delegation of the Association of Russian-speaking cultural and educational organizations in 18 European countries (EUROLOG) participate in the conference held in the suburb of Washington, Gaithersburg, MD.
Mayor of Gaithersburg Sydney Katz welcomed the participants of the forum announcing the Days of the Russian Culture in the town of Gaithersburg on June 10-12.
The conference is divided into several sections. The participants discuss the problems of the Russian-language media in the U.S., the methodology of teaching the Russian language in private schools, the preservation of the Russian language within families, and the organizational and practical issues of the work of private Russian -language kindergartens, educational centers and artistic studios.
On Saturday, the work in sections will continue at the Russian cultural center in Washington. The speakers will deliver such reports as "The Russian Church, language and culture in the U.S. capital," "The preservation of the Russian language in the U.S. educational environment," "The participation of the Russian-language media in the U.S. in the preservation of the Russian language abroad," etc.
