Linkevičius: Russia is not just its official Government
The fourth Vilnius Russia Forum took place on 18 and 19 May in Trakai district. The event was attended by more than 100 representatives of civil society, academicians, politicians, journalists from Russia, Lithuania and other Western countries.
Among the invited guests were Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who had been in prison for many years, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who had been hospitalised twice after a suspected poisoning, widow of Alexander Litvinenko, who was killed, daughter of the murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, and their comrades in arms.
“It is very important to us that the people, who care about the future of Russia, may assemble in Lithuania and discuss this matter openly. The dialogue with Russia’s civil society reminds us that Russia is not just its official Government. I am well pleased with our rich discussion, with what is going on here and we will continue this in the future”, said Linkevičius.
The participants of the forum discussed moods of the Russian population, the human rights situation, the country’s development prospects, relations between Russia and the West, and the 2018 Russian presidential election. Much attention was paid to Russia’s aggressive propaganda campaign in the Western countries.
The Vilnius Russia Forum has been organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania in cooperation with the Eastern Europe Studies Centre and the International Research Centre since 2013.
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