The ESCS Minister Vahram Dumanyan received today the delegation headed by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin. The meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers Arthur Martirosyan and Zhanna Andreasyan.

Greeting the Ambassador, Minister Vahram Dumanyan noted that cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, sports and youth has a special place in the Armenian-Russian relations. According to the Minister, the expansion of joint programs and the exchange of experience rightly contribute to the consistent development of bilateral relations between ally countries.

The RF Ambassador also noted the importance of cooperation between the two countries in the above-mentioned fields as spheres of strategic importance.

During the meeting, the parties touched upon the issues of teaching the Armenian language in general education schools of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian language in schools of the Republic of Armenia. In particular, reference was made to the issue of the textbooks, as well as teacher training courses, which were organized online in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The issue of creating a joint working group to propose solutions was considered.

The interstate scholarship program was also discussed, within the framework of which the citizens of Armenia and Russia get the opportunity to study in the top universities of the two countries. The activity of the Armenian-Russian University as a structure symbolizing the efficient scientific-educational-cultural relations between the two countries was especially emphasized.

Minister Vahram Dumanyan drew the Ambassador's attention to the issue of preserving the cultural heritage of Artsakh in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan, expecting the support of the Russian Federation in this matter․

It was noted that the program of Armenian-Russian cooperation in the field of culture comes to an end this year, which includes the organization of a number of joint events, study of the historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the development of partnership. It was proposed to develop and submit for signing a new program of cooperation in the field of culture for the coming years.

The parties also stated that Russian Culture Days in Armenia were scheduled in 2020, and in 2021 - Armenian Culture Days in Russia. The activities have been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The participants of the meeting expressed hope that the situation will be resolved in the near future, and it will not hinder the implementation of further initiatives.

During the meeting, they also discussed the possibility of involving other international organizations, including the Russian Center for Science and Culture, in the general education reform, and in particular in the works of the local education group in the field of education, within the framework of the recently received grant International Partnership for Education.

Other issues related to bilateral relations were also discussed.