(20.10.20) On 26 September 2020, the launch event for the "Year of Germany in Russia 2020/2021" took place with the participation of DFG Office Moscow. Organised by the German Embassy in Moscow, with the support of the Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut in Russia and the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce Abroad, this joint initiative promotes exchange and dialogue between the two countries through events in Russia, also in the field of research and education. In the latter areas in particular, the DFG will be involved in the Year of Germany with its established cooperation formats such as the Week of the Young Researcher and the Leibniz Lectures.

The festive launch for the Year of Germany in Russia 2020/2021 took place on 26 September 2020 in the venerable Pashkov House at the gates of the Kremlin in Moscow with the participation of DFG Office Moscow. In his opening speech, Ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr highlighted the importance of the initiative: Germany and Russia have been linked for centuries by a common history with all its ups and downs, he said, and the Year of Germany had the potential to further strengthen these close ties between civil society in the two countries. The Special Representative of the Russian President on International Cultural Cooperation, Prof. Mikhail Shvydkoy, also praised the unifying role of culture, which brings people together even in difficult times.

Heike Uhlig, director of the Goethe-Institut in Moscow, presented the Year of Germany programme with its activities in various cities in Russia: she said the year would provide a forum for dialogue and promote exchange in the areas of culture, education, sports and history, and that various project would also focus on the excellence of German research and business. The DFG and its local partner organisations will arrange for their established event formats such as the German-Russian Week of the Young Researcher and the Leibniz Lectures to take place within the framework of the Year of Germany.

The Year of Germany in Russia 2020/2021 is under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and is a joint initiative of the German Embassy in Moscow, the Goethe-Institut in Russia and the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce Abroad. Organisation of the activities planned up until the end of June 2021 will be adapted to the epidemiological situation: they will be held virtually, in hybrid formats, and in some cases as face-to-face events if possible.

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