Indian cultural centre opens in Russia

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, APRIL 1. The world's coldest region, Yakutia has become the seventh Russian province to have an Indian cultural centre.

The centre, set up in the region's capital Yakutsk, was inaugurated last week by the Indian Ambassador to Russia, Mr. S.K. Lambah. It is housed in the local State University and will be headed by its rector, Mr. A.N. Alexeyev, in what is seen as a sign of importance Yakutia's authorities attach to contacts with India. Among its many activities, the centre will be organising master classes in yoga and classical Indian dance.

Yakutia, with a record winter temperature of minus 70 centigrade, has strategic importance for India as Russia's main producer of rough diamonds. Earlier this year, India signed its first deal for the import of $ 4.5-million worth of uncut diamonds from Russia. A joint venture in diamond cutting, Choron Diamonds, has been operating in Yakutsk for the past several years.

The centre is the fifth to have been set up over the past year as part of a concerted drive launched by Mr. Lambah to promote direct ties with the different regions in Russia. Over the past two years, he has visited more than 25 key regions to tap their vast potential for bilateral trade. With Russia stretching across 11 times zones from west to east, regions often find it more advantageous to trade with foreign countries than with each other.

During the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin's visit to India last year, the two countries set up a working group on regional cooperation under the inter-governmental joint commission and signed a bilateral agreement on regional cooperation, the first such accord either side has with any foreign country.

The agreement allows the States in India and Russian regions to directly enter into various economic, cultural, scientific and educational ventures within the framework of their constitutional powers. Oil and natural gas, chemicals, fertilisers, auto-parts, small-scale industries and diamond processing have been identified as priority areas for direct inter-regional cooperation.

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Section  : International
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