Moscow will always support UNESCO and expects the agency to support Russia’s development plans and joint projects, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay on Wednesday, Trend reported citing TASS.
"We have always supported the agency and plan to continue to do that in the future," Putin said. "We are always at your service and we also expect you to support us, particularly as far as the implementation of our national plans and plans for cooperation between Russia and UNESCO go," he added.
Putin pointed out that 2019 marks the 65th anniversary of Russia’s UNESCO membership. "I know that a whole lot of activities are going to take place in this regard," he noted.
"I am very pleased to note that relations between Russia and UNESCO are progressing. We believe that UNESCO has been and remains a key international intergovernmental organization active in the humanitarian field," Putin emphasized.
Azoulay, who took office in late 2017, is on her first official visit to Russia on March 5-7. Her agenda includes a meeting with Putin and a tour of the Moscow Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. She will also travel to Russia’s Tatarstan Region and meet with its head Rustam Minnikhanov.
Azoulay said earlier in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman that her first official visit to Russia was aimed at boosting cooperation in resolving the issues of today’s world.