Putin Briefs Ministers on Implementing Unified Cultural Policy

MOSCOW, January 25 (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his Cabinet of Ministers to develop a working strategy on cultural policy to bring the country's legislative framework in line with the objectives of the "Foundations of State Cultural Policy" strategy outlined last month, the Kremlin's news service reported on Saturday.

The ministers' suggestions on the improvement of the country's cultural policy must be submitted by the end of May, with proposals for the establishment of a Russian Fund for Cultural Development due earlier, by March 1.
Putin also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study the matter of cultural cooperation with members of the Eurasian Economic Union, including the possible establishment of an EEU advisory body, Russian news agency RIA Novosti explained.

Following the strategy's approval, the Cabinet of Ministers will be charged with making the appropriate changes to federal, regional and municipal government programs which fund cultural initiatives.

The government's strategy includes a new federal statistical and analytical service aimed at monitoring the implementation of cultural policy.

The president has asked provincial governors to increase access to books and periodicals, in line with this year's Year of Literature initiative. He noted that the government must work to promote the best works of classical and modern Russian and foreign literature. Other initiatives supported under the new policy include the Russian Virtual Concert Hall project, folk arts and crafts programs, the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition for classical music, and local programs aimed at the preservation of the cultural heritage of Russia's many national groups. The initiatives will be funded and supported via an array of formats, including direct government participation, support for non-profit cultural organizations, and public-private initiatives, Rossiyskaya Gazeta has explained.

The president asked the government to take steps to preserve support for professional education in the arts, in light of recent reforms to the country's education system.

Last December, Putin signed a presidential decree "On the Foundations of State Cultural Policy," which was aimed at establishing a unified government policy to support the development of culture in Russia. Part of the program's objective, which has been criticized by some foreign observers, is the idea of supporting Russia's conception of sovereignty and its unique civilizational identity, as well as the preservation of its national historical memory.