Russia's East-Siberian region marking Lake Baikal Day

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IRKUTSK, September 13 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's East-Siberian Irkutsk
region is marking Lake Baikal Day that was established ten years ago at
the initiative of local public associations and ecological organization
after UNESCO had added Lake Baikal to its World Heritage List.
The initiative was supported then by the regional legislative
assembly. Neighboring regions of Buryatia and Chita supported the
proposals, too.
"Lake Baikal Day is a broadly observed event," Irkutsk region natural
resources and ecology minister Olga Gaikova told Itar-Tass. "It includes a
wide range of official functions and other events that take place
throughout the summer."
"Their results are summed up traditionally by the second summer of
September," she said.
One of such actions - the Yurt of the Baikal Seal - was held all
through the past week. The Yurt, or the mobile information center set up
by ecology activists from the associations 'The Great Baikal Ecological
Trail' and "Defending Baikal Together' traveled from one place to another
during the week to inform local population on the situation around the
nerpas, or the Baikal seals whose cubs are welcome prey for poachers due
to excellent fur.
On the eve of Lake Baikal Day, a conference on the development of
natural resources of this mineral-rich region was held. The participants
raised the problem of how to prevent the littering of the unique
freshwater Lake's shores.
Lake Baikal Day also is the final day of an international documentary
and educational films on environmental issues.

.Russian art show timed for Dyagileff's Saisons Russes held in US.

WASHINGTON, September 13 (Itar-Tass) - Centenary anniversary of Serge
Dyagileff's Saisons Russes became an event, to which the Russian Cultural
Center in Washington DC dedicated the 'Russian Ballet Art Show' that was
held here Saturday.
The hit of the show was a display of photographs by the Moscow-based
artist Yuri Barykin, whose works are found in many private collections
across the world, including France and U.S.
A total of forty of his picture have been brought to the Washington
exhibition now. Quite naturally, all of them are devoted to Russian
ballet.
Barykin uses special technologies of photography to bring out the
dynamism and grace of classical and contemporary ballet dance.
This is far from the first event in the U.S. dedicated to Saisons
Russes.
A festival of arts timed for the jubilee was held in May in Boston.
Its itinerary included numerous concerts and the Boston Ballet showed an
array of performances choreographed by Nijinsky and Balanchine.

.Mstislav Rostropovich's disciple to open festival of master classes.

MOSCOW, September 13 (Itar-Tass) - A highly unusual festival titled
'Glory to Maestro' opens in Moscow Sunday.
It is destined to be a festival of master classes. The first musician
to perform is Lithuanian cellist David Geringas.
The whole event is devoted to the outstanding Russian cellist and
conductor, Mstislav Rostropovich / b. 1927, d. 2007/ who lent a helping
hand to young performers throughout his career.
The festival will be held at the center of operatic singing run by
Galina Vishnevskaya, Rostropovich's wife and the idea to organize an event
of this kind was authored by Olga Rostropovich, Mstislav's and Galina's
daughter.
September 14, the operatic singing center's concert hall on the
downtown Ostoshenka Street will host a master class by the world's
top-rate viola player Yuri Bashmet. Other highly venerated musicians to
appear on the stage as part of the festival itinerary are violinist
Seirgei Krylov, the winner of the first Tchaikovsky international
competition in Moscow, pianist Van Clibern of the U.S., Russian musicians
Alexei Utkin and Arkady Shilkloper, and Galina Vishnevskaya herself. She
is running the festival this year.
Admission to the center will be free of charge for music students and
ordinary listeners likewise.
Olga Rostropovich said Muscovites will see the emergence of one more
festival dedicated to her father next yet. It will be titled the
Rostropovich Week.


.Abkhazia working towards recognition of independence by L American
states.

CARACAS, September 13 (Itar-Tass) - Major goal of a trip to Latin
America by a delegation of Abkhazia's state officials is to secure
recognition of their homeland's independence by countries of the region,
Deputy Foreign Minister Maxim Gvindhiya said Saturday in the interview
with itar-Tass.
As part of the business itinerary, the delegation visited Venezuela,
Cuba and Nicaragua. Friday, it returned to Caracas.
"We count on recognition if Abkhazia's independence considering the
fact that the leaderships of Latin American states have been making
encouraging steps towards the Republic of Abkhazia for quite some time by
now," Gvindzhiya said.
"In their statements, they openly supported Russia's move to recognize
the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and this gave us grounds to
hope that our visit will impart a new impulse to the process of
recognition," he said.
"Luckily, our hopes have proved correct and Venezuela, which is a
leader among the regional countries, has recognized Abkhazia and South
Ossetia," Gvindzhiya said.
Russia recognized the independence of the two former regions of
Georgia at the end of August 2008 following an armed operation, in the
course of which it had to defend South Ossetia from an aggression
committed by Georgian Armed Forces.
Recognition on the part of Nicaragua followed suit, and Venezuela made
public its decision to recognize the two new countries a few days ago.
Gvindzhiya said the Abkhazian delegation has met with Nicaraguan
President Daniel Ortega and Foreign Minister Samuel Santos in the course
of the visit.
"They reaffirmed they had taken the decision to recognize Abkhazia and
South Ossetia as a sign of solidarity with our countries and peoples,"
Gvindzhiya said. "Nicaragua, the first Latin American country that
extended recognition to us, will always remain our best friend."
Abkhazian officials have signed two documents with the Nicaraguan
Foreign Ministry - an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations and a
protocol on consultations between the two countries' Foreign Ministries.
Gvindzhiya said the Abkhazian government hopes to open its embassy in
the Nicaraguan capital Managua next year. Also, it has plans for an active
trade and economic cooperation with Nicaraguan companies.
As for the visit to Cuba, Gvindzhiya said the delegation had held
fruitful consultations there. The Cuban authorities have a very
encouraging stance on Abkhazia, he said.
-0-kle