UNESCO World Heritage Committee session opens in St. Petersburg for first time
ST. PETERSBURG. June 24 (Interfax) - The opening ceremony of the 36th session of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee took place at the Tauride Palace in S. Petersburg on Sunday evening.
The session is taking place in Russia for the first time, and it is important that is hosted by St. Petersburg, Russia's Permanent Representative to UNESCO Eleonora Mitrofanova said while opening the ceremony.
"It will not be an exaggeration to say, citing historian Karamzin, that the streets and walls of Petersburg reflect the history of the Russian nation," she said.
Currently, the global community is experiencing hard times, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said for his part. "On the one hand, new technologies are emerging every day; on the other, the world is witnessing a challenge to traditional values," he said, adding that UNESCO is playing a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage.
Russia's northern capital is a dynamically growing city, governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko told the attendees. The main task today is to preserve the balance between protection, safeguarding of its heritage and development, he said.
It was reported that at its 36th session the UN World Heritage Committee will add 31 sites, including Russia's, to its World Heritage List.
The current session will continue until July 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier.