60 Years with UNESCO photo exhibition opens in Paris

PARIS, April 15 (Itar-Tass) - A photo exhibition titled 60 Years with UNESCO has opened at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s admission to the organization. The exposition traces the history of relations the Soviet Union, and then Russia, have maintained with UNESCO over many decades. The unique archive photos and documents have been provided by ITAR-TASS with assistance from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian airlines Aeroflot. “We see the vast potential of UNESCO as one of the few non-politicized organizations and enjoying high authority in the world,” State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin said at the opening ceremony. “60 years is an excellent age that makes it possible to look back on the results of fruitful cooperation between UNESCO and Russia,” UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova said. “Each of the achievements is a foundation stone of our organization.” In his statement at the inauguration ceremony ITAR-TASS Director-General Sergei Mikhailov said that TASS, one of the world news agencies by UNESCO classification, will celebrate its 110th anniversary later this year. “The collection of photographs currently on display in Paris is a UNESCO chronicle, showing the brightest moments of its history and activity in cooperation with our country,” Mikhailov said. He thanked Bokova for the invitation to hold the exhibition for such a respectable world organization. It is not accidental that ITAR-TASS was chosen to arrange for the display. “Our agency has for many years led the Russian National Committee of UNESCO’s International Program for the Development of Communication (IPDC),” he recalled. Soviet and Russian scientists, culture workers and leading diplomats made their contribution to the development of relations and promoted new vectors of UNESCO’s activity. The organization has more than 200 member-states.