The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

MOSCOW: June 20, 2012
The International Conference “Compatriots—Descendants of Great Russians”

On June 18, 2012, Moscow served as the host city for the International Conference “Compatriots—Descendants of Great Russians” 2012. This forum includes families from 15 nations, including heroes of the Great War for the Fatherland of 1812. The conference is also attended by representatives of federal executive and legislative bodies, citizens of the Russian Federation and non-governmental organizations.

Mr AV Chepurin, Director of the Department of Relations with Compatriots Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, delivered the keynote address.

Speakers included Ms VA Nikonova, Executive Director of the Administration of Russky Mir; Mr GL Muradov, Deputy Chief of Rossotrudnichestvo; Ms NA Narochnitskaya, President of the Fund of Historical Perspective; Prince Vladimir Galitzine, Warden of the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York, and others.

Also participating in the even twere Protopriest Sergei Zvonaryov, Secretary of the Far Abroad of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, who read a greeting from His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the DECR.

The event is a forum for discussing Russian history and spirituality, as well as humanitarian, legal and material support for the Russian-speaking diaspora.

The first “Compatriots—Descendants of Great Russians” was held on July 7-8, 2008, in Moscow. It was organized by the Government Committee on Compatriots Abroad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Participating in that forum were descendants of great Russian families living in various countries of the world. Among them were descendants of Emperor Alexander II, the princely Dolgorukiy and Troubetskoy families, the Sheremetiev Counts, Alexander Pushkin, Prime Minister Peter Stolypin, Chancellor AM Gorchakov, as well as descendants of Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Glinka, Feodor Chaliapine and Igor Sikorsky.

Press Service of the DECR.